


Poisoned Fang

by Spunky0ne, Timewaster123456789



Series: Pieces of a Shattered Moon [7]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Byakuya poisoned, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 03:09:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20686526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewaster123456789/pseuds/Timewaster123456789
Summary: An insidious enemy plots to force Renji to watch as poison from his own blade slowly drains Byakuya of his life.





	1. Love in the Rukon District

_At twelve years old, I pretty much decided that my heart would belong to Rukia. She was, after all, my constant companion. We spent all of our time together. We got up every morning and went out into the streets before the younger ones woke, and stole or otherwise acquired food for everyone. We knew inside that stealing was wrong, but it was that or whore ourselves for food…and we weren’t going to allow ourselves to stoop to that. It wasn’t an easy life, but it was better than dying on the streets of Inuzuri._

_When I wasn’t focusing on survival, I liked to rest beneath the trees or in them and watch Rukia play with water flowers in the river, or to look over into the distance, where I could see the dark outline of Sokyoku Hill in the faraway Sereitei. I let my mind go at times like that. It was one of the few times when I could relax and not think about anything. Often, I would fall asleep in the trees and sometimes Rukia would just give me a gentle pat and let me sleep there. Only when the weather was good, though. It was on one of those nights that something unexpected happened._

_I had fallen asleep some time before. I was extremely tired from practicing kido spells. Rukia and I were determined that we would get out of the Rukon District someday and become soul reapers. Actually, I wanted to all along. It wasn’t until later, when the hard life of Inuzuri had claimed most of those we grew up with that Rukia finally truly decided that it was time to leave._

_Anyway, it was one of those nights when Rukia had left me sleeping in the tree and had gone back to the abandoned shack we all shared. Everything was silent except for a soft breeze moving the tree branches. I came awake late at night to the small crunching sound of feet under the tree. Thinking it was probably Rukia, I prepared to drop down and surprise her. The one who ended up being surprised was me. Because when my feet landed on the ground and I took a closer look, I realized rather quickly that I wasn’t looking at Rukia. Her face was too delicate, too much like porcelain, her hair too light and her body to fine and slender. She was one of the not-so-lucky, who had been forced down that path Rukia and I had enabled each other to avoid. And tonight she had paid the price. Her hair was tumbled and on looking closer, I could see bruises rising on her skin. Her lip was bleeding and she was breathing heavily. She was ready to run away, but she had been hurt too badly. Her legs gave out beneath her and she dropped down at my feet._

_I dropped to my knees next to her and I used the meager healing kido I possessed. For some reason it actually worked and in a short time, the bruises were disappearing and the color was returning to her skin. I didn’t have anything warm to drape over her, so I did as we Rukon kids had to. I used my body heat to warm her._

_She was soft and pale, and I wondered how any creature so soft and fine could survive here. I wondered how she could bear the hard life of a prostitute at such a young age. There had to be more to her story. No one becomes a prostitute in Inuzuri without there being compelling reasons behind it. In Inuzuri, prostitution is a last resort…for those who can’t make a living any other way._

_We rested there beneath the tree until she began to stir just before dawn. Her eyes opened and she looked up at me with calm gratitude in her eyes._

_“Thank you for healing me,” she whispered, then she kissed me…and kept kissing me, until my hands came up and gently pushed her away._

_She looked surprised._

_“I have nothing else to offer in return,” she explained, “I was just trying to offer you something for your trouble.”_

_I swallowed hard, realizing that this is how things work in Inuzuri. _

_“You don’t need to do that,” I told her, “touching her hair gently, “just tell me something. Why do you do this? Is there some reason? I’m part of a family of kids. If you want, you could come and live with us. You don’t have to go back.”_

_Her eyes filled with tears and her kiss felt like butterfly wings on my cheek._

_“You are very sweet to offer me this…and without even knowing my name or my story. I would go with you, but…I am protecting someone. I can’t say any more. Just that.”_

_“Do you have a name?” I asked._

_“Kasumi,” she told me._

_“I’m Renji Abarai.”_

_“Thank you for your help, Renji Abarai. Now, I’m afraid that I must go. I will be missed.”_

_“Wait a moment,” I said, touching her arm, “Kasumi…if you ever need my help again, you can find me here. I come here every night to watch the sunset.”_

_“And sometimes you sleep in the trees. Thank you again, Renji. I will remember that.”_

_She disappeared into the morning mist. She came back a few nights later, not in need of healing, but company. She seemed to want to share my company and I was more than happy to offer it. I never sought to pressure her, but with time, things grew passionate between us. She would come late at night and stay until just before dawn, then disappear into the mist. We never talked about what she did to survive. It didn’t matter. We were all just surviving in whatever ways we could. She had a reason for walking the path she was on. When I asked, she always gave the same vague answer she gave me that first night._

_Young hearts burn with passion and idealism and I thought I could help her get away from that life, so I offered to do that, yet again. Again, she refused, but I could tell that she was wearing thin. It was too hard a life for her and she was beginning to show the signs of that. Then, she became pregnant. It didn’t matter to me whether it was mine or someone else’s. I thought that this would finally bring here home with me to stay._

_“There is a doctor I know who will make sure the baby is healthy and I will be here to take care of you…I promise.”_

_She smiled and although I thought she would refuse me as she had every time before, this time she accepted…and she did not go back to wherever they kept her. Time passed and the baby grew inside her. I made sure she ate well, and all of the other kids helped to watch over her. We eagerly awaited the arrival of our little brother or sister._

_Then, one night, they came for her. It goes without saying that once you walk that dark path in Inuzuri, it remembers you. They found us sleeping in the tree together and tore her from my arms. They beat me into unconsciousness…but something went very wrong. Because when I woke, she was still there, her beautiful porcelain skin kissed with morning dew. But she never moved. They didn’t want her back. They only came to us to kill her._

_“Kasumi!”_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Renji, are you all right?” Byakuya’s voice sounds strange after having seemed to go back in time._

_“Yeah,” I tell him in a voice just above a whisper, “it was just a dream.”_

_“Do you wish to talk about it?” he asks, rolling over and resting his head on my shoulder, his body warm and relaxed against mine._

_He doesn’t know that much about my life in the Rukon District. He knows I didn’t have it easy, but he leaves it to me to share what I want him to know. I had almost let go of it…although it took a long time. We all have our scars. Byakuya and I both. But telling him won’t change the facts. Kasumi died a long time ago. I push the memory to the back of my mind and pull Byakuya closer. Whatever happened before, he and I are together right now._

_“Nah…I just need something to help me sleep. You know anything that might help?”_

_Dark eyes meet mine with mayhem in their depths._

_“I have a few ideas.”_

_“You do?” I ask, smiling._

_“We could engage in sparring…that usually tires you.”_

_I have to laugh at that._

_“How about something that doesn’t hurt?” I ask, blinking at the sight of passion rising in his eyes._

_“Well…it might hurt a little…”_

_“Yes?” I say._

_“Shunpo race?” he queries._

_“Nah…you’re too good at it. I wouldn’t stand a chance.”_

_“Well then,” he says, bringing his lips close to my ear, “might I suggest…”_

_I don’t know what heats me more…his breath on my ear or what he suggests._

_“I think I’ll choose option three,” I whisper back._

_“I see,” he says, studying me in the dark, “but make no mistake, Renji, I can’t promise you that someone won’t get hurt.”_

_“I’ll survive,” I assure him._

_“Well, then, if you’re sure,” he breathes._

_His body wraps around mine and our hips come together with a jolt. He buries his face in my throat, his lips and tongue paving the way for a surprisingly aggressive set of nips and bites. His fingers are in my hair, sliding through its length. I’m lucky there are no tangles. That would hurt…but he did warn me. His hips thrust into mine, making me moan and push my hips upward for deeper contact. _

_I miss the moment he releases the ties on our kimonos. I just know that all of a sudden, I feel the heat and pressure of his skin against mine, and it almost sends me into oblivion. I see the look he’s giving me and start to open my legs, but he grabs my wrists and brings them down to rest on either side of my head then laces his fingers into mine. He gives me a very passionate, indulgent kiss, before raising his upper body away from mine. As he moves, he sinks down onto my swollen cock. He stops for a moment, breathing heavily and then he starts to move again. His eyes halfway opened and locked on mine, he begins slowly, then moves increasingly faster and harder, his breath shortening and his eyes glazing over with intense pleasure. I can’t hold my hips still and they thrust hungrily upward, deeper into his._

_I love watching him when we make love, because there is so much emotion in his face. He always begins looking calm and in control, but when he rides me like this, he lets himself go. It starts in his dark eyes with a exotic, wild glint, then they widen with intensity and the emotion spreads like wildfire across the rest of his face, making his nostrils flare, his lips tremble softly and his head tilt forward so his hair falls all around his face. I know he’s going to climax when his eyes begin to drift almost closed and his legs tighten around me. The sight of this alone makes me climax as well and then his body sinks down onto mine and he finishes things by treating my mouth to a few minutes of very intense exploration with his._

_Knowing I’m not likely to go to sleep just yet, we move to the huge jetted tub and he attacks my mouth again, his hands sliding down my hot wet torso, pulling me closer, waiting until we’ve both recovered enough to continue. By the time we drain the tub and return to bed, we’re both exhausted and happy, and I’ve forgotten the nightmare that brought me awake._

_“Will you be able to sleep now, Renji?” he asks, his breath teasing the skin on my chest._

_“Yes, thanks, Byakuya.”_

_He gives me a final kiss and drifts off to sleep in my arms. I’m slower to fall asleep, but the soft drip of water in the now empty tub, the warm weight of him against me, and the soft night sounds creeping in from outside lull me to sleep more gradually._


	2. Drowse

_If last night’s bedroom ‘sparring’ was fun, Byakuya and I are really in our element now as we face each other at the top of Sokyoku Hill. Around us stands a throng of young soul reapers, many from the soul reaper academy, and some from the new recruits from all of the squads. It’s a big deal for these kids to see high-level soul reapers spar…but to see hard hitters like Byakuya and me go all out? That’s the deal of a lifetime for many of them._

_Byakuya has placed a negative reiatsu cage around the top of the hill, while leaving protective space for a viewing gallery. Most of these kids have never seen a negative reiatsu cage at all, let alone one sporting a viewing gallery. I have to say that I’m pretty impressed…and I know what Byakuya’s abilities are…_

_Major events like these are carefully monitored for safety, both for the combatants and for the viewers. The stealth force monitors reiatsu levels all around to make sure there are no weaknesses in the reiatsu cage. They don’t figure it will be a problem with Byakuya having raised the cage, but they do a thorough job of it anyway. In addition, only combatants may carry weapons. Great care is taken to ensure there are no accidents._

_Byakuya and I have chosen to spar full strength and without power reduction, meaning that if we really wanted to kill each other, we certainly could. Only soul reapers with high clearances like us can duel this way. It is a big responsibility. It takes serious control not to hit too hard in the heat of battle, but Byakuya and I do this all of the time. We are well accustomed to the demands of it._

_I finish a short Q & A with some young soul reapers and then look over to where Byakuya stands, making one last check on the reiatsu cage. That done, he carefully opens the entrance. We step inside and he carefully seals us in. _

_Inside, there is peace and quiet. I can almost forget the throng outside watching us. Byakuya made it that way to ensure our maximum concentration on the battle at hand. For all intents and purposes, we will act as though this is a private sparring session between just the two of us._

_“That’s good, Renji. Begin there with lots of space in between us,” he says softly._

_I nod and move into position. I slide Zabimaru free of his sheath. Byakuya paces off and takes position opposite me._

_“Remember…it’s just you and me…” he breathes._

_It puts me into a relaxed and alert state perfect for sparring, but then, Byakuya is good at that._

_“Begin,” he says._

_Because it is an exhibition, the first few moves are scripted. Everyone wants to see Byakuya’s Senka. It is famous throughout the Sereitei…so as soon as we start, he is already flash stepping and I am already countering. Then we begin a heavy exchange of sword strikes before I pass my hand over Zabimaru, putting him in Shikai form._

_“Roar Zabimaru!”_

_“Scatter Senbonzakura.”_

_Our Shikai slam into each other, shaking the ground all around us and breaking against each other. We cannot see or hear the crowd in the gallery, but I know they’ve erupted into mad cheers of excitement. We may not receive sensations from without, but they can feel the rumbles of power from our battle and they hear our voices as well._

_I don’t have time to get distracted now, because as soon as the Shikai destroy each other, he treats me to a ferocious barrage of kido, sword, and petal blades that leaves tiny cuts cooling here and there on my skin. I am pleased when I notice that a few of my countering attacks have caught him as well._

_We move into a dance of unscripted flash steps, strikes and kido, which ends only when I feel him raising his spirit energy for the release of his Ban Kai. We strike at each other with red and blue fire, white lightning and the six rod prison of light._

_Before Byakuya can loose his Ban Kai, I begin my release._

_“Ban Kai, Hihio Zabimaru!”_

_ “Ban Kai, Scatter Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”_

_The skeletal snake rises around me and deflects the first nasty burst of petal blades, then follows the path of the blades to their source, forcing Byakuya to flash step away. He looses another battery and the skeletal snake curls around me protectively. Just before the petals fade, I send the skeletal snake at him, blasting him with the red flame from the serpent’s mouth. Even though he is prepared for this, it yields a very impressive impact that sends both of us sliding backwards._

_The fangs of the serpent strike at him, forcing him to flash step several times, then I send another blast from the serpent’s mouth._

_“Hikotsu Taiho!”_

_He counters with a withering blend of kido and Ban Kai that long ago, would have left my head spinning. It’s still challenging, but I counter each move calmly and try to think a move ahead of him._

_I am stunned, however, when I hear what he says next._

_“Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”_

_The petal blades form a huge sphere around Zabimaru and me. Once they have closed around us, I curl the skeletal snake around me for protection. The ones without don’t know I have done this. They saw me separate from my Ban Kai just before the sphere closed. All at once, the sphere collapses and explodes in a brilliant flash of pink light, shaking the ground again. That has got to have scared the pants off a few of them! When the dust and blades disappear, the skeletal snake uncurls and I am none the worse for wear. We end the match there, returning our blades to sealed form and finishing things with a blinding speed relay of sword strikes that leave us as breathless as our audience. When Byakuya and I emerge from within the reiatsu cage, we are hammered with screams and applause that fall over us like a huge wave. I am all smiles and Byakuya’s eyes flash with pride. _

_Byakuya and I flash step away to the 6th Division office to bathe and change before the banquet. The office is dark and empty, all of the division still being up at Sokyoku Hill, so no one is there to notice when we slip into the Captain’s Quarters together._

_When the two of us spar, we get very involved…and because we are lovers and life partners, it also tends to cause sudden bouts of intense lovemaking afterward. Usually we make it to the shower first, but sometimes we ignore the perspiration and go straight to bed. We spend a few minutes kissing and petting on the bed, before moving to the shower._

_We step into the shower and let the hot water take away the sting of the small cuts on our skin. The Captain’s shower has four shower heads, so we can stand almost anywhere in the large shower and still be pummeled with heated water. We take our time, washing away the dust and blood from the battle, then Byakuya turns and smiles at me._

_“You did very well in our sparring, Renji. You performed quite admirably,” he says, stepping in close, “In fact, you performed so well that I feel compelled to reward you in some way. How might I do that…Renji?”_

_He moves in close and captures my lips for a moment, then moves slowly down to my throat, tasting the water on my skin. I slide my hands down his water-slicked back and catch his hips, pulling them closer, urging them to press forward against mine. His fingers trace the tattoos on my skin and his mouth moves from my throat, down to my chest and lingers there, before he trails a line of kisses down to my navel. He sinks slowly to his knees, licking the water from my navel, then working his way down to my throbbing cock. I was already aroused from the kissing and touches we gave each other before we got into the shower and this is like sweet torture. He takes his time tasting the skin on my thighs, taking my sac into his mouth and stroking it deeply with his tongue, first on one side, then the other. By the time he licks his way up the shaft, I am pressed back against the wall, gasping softly and trying as hard as I can to slow myself down._

_I work my fingers into his hair to distract myself, then as he wraps his mouth around my cock, I moan and tighten my hands, encouraging him to move up and down. He obliges me with a soft moan and he doesn’t pull away when I climax. I sink down to my knees in front of him and recapture his mouth in a slow, open-mouthed display of deep gratitude._

_We finish showering and towel off. As he steps out of the bathroom, I follow, taking him into my arms from behind and bringing him down onto the bed. He turns in my arms and I kiss my way down his freshly washed skin and I give his damp cock the same loving attention he gave mine. Eventually, he pulls away, noting the time and speculating that if we delay any longer, we are going to be late. We dress quickly and head to the celebration hall, where we are surrounded by the noise and commotion of the crowd of soul reapers who have come to the exhibition day festivities._

_Byakuya sits at the 6th Division table with the seated officers, while the non-seated members spread out at other tables around the room. Byakuya isn’t one who enjoys a lot of noise and commotion, but he is caught up in the afterglow of sparring and lovemaking and it brings him out of his shell enough to converse briefly with many of the newer soul reapers, as well as several of the gathered captains. When the sun sinks into the horizon, we walk slowly home to the Kuchiki manor and kiss the kids good night before falling into bed, ready for a good night’s sleep._

_Byakuya can barely keep his eyes open, but I always take longer to fall asleep, so he rests calmly against my shoulder, somehow managing to hold up his end of the conversation while I replay the day’s events. Some time later, I yawn, stretch and pull him closer, then I sink into sleep, caressed by the softness of his breath on my skin._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Usually, Byakuya is not a late sleeper, but this morning when I wake, he is still sound asleep, so I slip out of bed and dress, then move out into the garden for an outdoor breakfast. The children are up already. Takeshi toddles over to me and I lift him up and place a good morning kiss on his red hair. Chisaki follows Rukia around babbling incessantly. When breakfast is served, Byakuya is still not up. I poke my nose into our bedroom and he is still sleeping soundly. I figure that the exhibition and banquet were enough to wear anyone down and I go back out to play with the children._

_It doesn’t really start to worry me until it gets close to time for us to report for work. Byakuya might sleep in sometimes, but he always reports to work as expected. For him to still be sleeping now is a definite oddity._

_I send the kids off to play with Rukia and I go back to our bedroom. _

_Byakuya is still lying where he was and in the same position as when I got up this morning. I start to get a little worried when I notice that his breathing seems a little off as well._

_“Byakuya?” I say tentatively._

_He doesn’t move. That is extremely unlike him. The sound of his name usually rouses him._

_“Bya,” I say, touching his face._

_The skin feels overly warm and his eyes open slightly, but they are tinged with redness and he seems overly drowsy._

_“Renji?” he whispers._

_“Yeah,” I answer, pulling him up to a seated position, “You okay? It’s almost time to leave for work. You going to get up today?”_

_“Did…you say…it’s late?” he mumbles._

_“Yeah, what is it? You sick or something?”_

_He runs his hands over his face to clear his head._

_“I do feel a little…off. I probably overdid it yesterday. All of the commotion must have gotten to me.”_

_“Yeah, I was a little out of it this morning too. But you look feverish. You should rest some more. I’ll send a hell butterfly to tell Rikichi to run things this morning. That way I can make you some tea and look after you a little.”_

_He squints up at me._

_“Renji, I do not require looking after. I am simply overtired,” he insists irritably._

_“I know…but I like taking care of you, so I’ll send that hell butterfly and I’ll be back with the tea. You try to sleep a little, okay?”_

_He leans back and closes his eyes as I leave the room. It takes me a while to make the tea, so I’m not surprised to find him sleeping again when I come back. He is, as before, hard to rouse and noticeably sluggish. He seems to perk up a little after drinking the tea, but he opts to stay home for the rest of the day to rest._

_“I’m just going to have lunch with Rikichi and a few new squad members,” I tell him, “I’ll be back after that._

_He seems fine with it, so I flash step down to the division office to meet Rikichi and the others…then we adjourn to a nearby restaurant, where we spend some time getting to know the new squad members and introduce them to the way the division operates. As we work our way through lunch, my mind keeps drifting back to Byakuya. I have a hard time concentrating and I am relieved when lunch ends so I can return home._

_When I get home, he is gone and the bed has been made. I look out in the garden and around the house before asking the housekeeper if he has been seen. She tells me that he walked out of the gate and up the trail towards the waterfall some time ago._

_I flash step away and practically run out into the garden, past the gate and down the forest trail. When I reach the waterfall, I see him lying beneath the cherry trees. He is still feverish and slow to wake, but he climbs to his feet and we start back to the manor walking alongside each other._

_“How was lunch?” he asks softly._

_“Ah, it was good. It looks like we got a couple of promising members.”_

_He nods his approval, but doesn’t speak._

_“Byakuya,” I say worriedly, “maybe you should check in with squad four. I mean, it seems like you’re really not yourself.”_

_“I’m fine, Renji. I told you. I’m just overtired. I just need…”_

_He stops talking and sways unsteadily. I take hold of him and he seems to feel more settled. We start forward again._

_“You’re going to the Healing Center, Byakuya,” I tell him, “You are definitely ill.”_

_He doesn’t say anything, but he nods in assent. We start forward, but a moment later, he collapses on the trail. Gasping softly, I drop down next to him, checking for his pulse and breathing, _

_“Byakuya!” I say urgently, “Bya! Can you hear me?”_

_He doesn’t move. His chest is barely moving._

_“Bya! Come on! Wake up!” I say louder._

_I gather him into my arms and realize that his body is unresponsive. He is unconscious. Holding him close, I flash step back down the trail, through the house and across town to the Healing Center. I burst into the lobby with him held against me, still breathing, but not able to wake. Healers take him from my arms and they disappear into one of the rooms with him. My body shaking softly, I sit down in a nearby chair and resign myself to waiting._


	3. In the Night's Embrace

_I can’t get rid of this sick feeling inside, waiting for someone to open the white door beside me, to come out and tell me that this was all a misunderstanding, that it is as Byakuya said, and that he is just overly tired. He does work very hard…and between the work of setting up the exhibition site, raising the negative reiatsu cage, sparring, making love, and attending the banquet, there was much there to tire him out. I know I was feeling it by the end of the day. That has to be all that this is. But, the time goes by and I continue waiting. I know that the longer it takes for that white door to open, the worse the news will be._

_When it finally opens, Retsu Unohana meets my eyes wearily and she doesn’t give me the smile that would tell me that Byakuya is going to be fine. There is a weight behind her eyes and my heart freezes with shock when she tells me what is happening._

_“We don’t know yet what is causing him to remain unconscious. We have tried all of the usual measures to bring him awake, and nothing seems to help. In addition, his reiatsu is in a declining state. We had to place him in a state of suspended animation to stop the rapid decline of his reiatsu.”_

_He won’t get any worse for right now. He won’t die right now…but being in suspended animation? He won’t wake._

_They allow me to go inside to see him. I can’t touch him, because suspended animation requires the placement of the soul into a special chamber. It sustains life while freezing the advance of whatever threatens to end that life. It is a desperate measure._

_I rest my palms on the edge of the clear chamber and as I look down at his pale, beautiful face, I think back to yesterday, the excitement of battle, the heavy warm feeling of his body wrapped around mine, his breath on my skin, his deep, sensuous voice…and the fact that in all of my life, I have never loved anyone as deeply as I love him._

_The door opens behind me and Rukia comes inside. She walks to me slowly and her arms wrap around me as we comfort each other. _

_“Yoruichi has arrived,” she tells me in a tiny scared voice, “She’s taking care of Takeshi and Chisaki so that we can stay here with him.”_

_“That’s good,” I reply, looking back at her for a moment, “but it’s not like we can do anything for him. Hell, we can’t even touch him.”_

_I’m suddenly reminded of the living world tale of Snow White…where the witch gives the girl a poisoned apple and she takes a bite and falls to the floor…and everyone thinks she is dead. They put her in a glass coffin and they’re all crying over her, when suddenly the handsome prince arrives and gives Snow White a kiss. The kiss revives her and everyone lives happily ever after…well, everyone but the witch. But this is no fairy tale. I can’t just open that translucent chamber, kiss him, and have him wake. He doesn’t move. He isn’t breathing. Like the princess in that human tale, he looks to all of the world as though he has died. We are incredibly lucky that suspended animation exists. Otherwise, Byakuya Kuchiki would already have ceased to exist._

_The weight of that falls on me. If he weren’t in suspended animation, he would already have died. I can’t imagine what that would be like. I can’t imagine the coldness of the morning without the warm weight of his body pressed against mine. I can’t imagine never again feeling his breath touch my skin, his lips search for mine in the darkness, or his fingers trace the black tattoos that adorn my skin. I can’t imagine sitting beneath the cherry trees at the top of the waterfall alone, knowing he’ll never join me there, or being surrounded by cherry blossoms and knowing they’ll never touch him again. I am scared to death._

_Rukia stands beside me and I know she’s as scared as I am. How many times have she and I stood together and mourned losses of life? In the Rukon District all of those years ago, this is what drove her to leave and become a soul reaper. I wonder what she will do if Byakuya dies? What will I do? How will I face the future alone? But then, we aren’t alone. Rukia and I still have each other. I take her hand and we sit near him. She brings her head to rest on my shoulder. The room is silent. The prince sleeps. And we all wait for a miracle._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“I have to go back to the division office,” I tell Rukia, “There are some things I have to be the one to do.”_

_She nods and I leave her behind. I take one last look before closing the door behind me and leaving the white confines of the Healing Center._

_I walk into the 6th Division office and the first thing that strikes me is how empty his chair looks, sitting there without him. I can’t stand the thought of how cold it would feel to sit down and work there, so I take the pile of forms and return to my own desk. It doesn’t take long for me to get things in order. When the reports are filed, I meet Rikichi and we move to the training ground. There are three new squad members. The first is a girl fresh out of the soul reaper academy. She is tall and willowy, with curly brown hair, laughing eyes and wicked kido. Her name is Ren and she is known to have scored highly in all areas except swordsmanship…so I know that’s where we’ll focus right away._

_The second is a dark haired, studious boy named Fumio who is a pro at kido, but little else. He’ll need lots of support to round him out, but we can definitely use those kido abilities right away. The last is a tall brown haired, brown-eyed boy named Takeo. He is a very strong fighter with good instincts. His kido is passable, but he is relatively hopeless in reiatsu sensing. Lots of strong fighters are. He has a pretty impressive Shikai, a shadow wolf form. _

_Rikichi and I put them through their paces, before sending them off to the barracks to settle in._

_“So how is the captain doing?” Rikichi asks softly once we’re back in the division office._

_“They still don’t know anything. They had to use suspended animation to keep him alive.”_

_“Oh Renji!” Rikichi gasps, his face going pale, “I didn’t know it was that bad!”_

_“Yeah…it is.”_

_A hell butterfly appears and flutters softly down onto my fingertip._

_“Renji Abarai, please report to the Healing Center for an update on the condition of Captain Kuchiki.”_

_I flash step all of the way and find Rukia waiting outside Byakuya’s door, her face pale and worried._

_“I just got the hell butterfly,” she says, “I don’t know if that means he’s better or worse.”_

_We sit in chairs side by side near the door and hold hands as we wait for news. A few tense minutes later, the white door opens and Retsu Unohana comes out. She doesn’t look as though the news will be great, but she doesn’t look devastated or anything._

_“We have managed to stabilize his reiatsu for now and he is awake. But Renji, we don’t know what caused this to happen or if it will return. We haven’t encountered anything like this before. We are keeping him for the night, but you both are welcome to see him.”_

_We practically break the door down getting ourselves inside. Byakuya observes our frantic faces with calm amusement._

_“Are you two all right?” he asks softly, “You nearly took that door off the hinges.”_

_“Brother!” Rukia exclaims running to him and taking his hand, “We were so afraid for you! We didn’t know what was wrong…or if you were going to be okay. We were very worried, Byakuya!”_

_“Well, I seem to be fine. I don’t feel as though anything is wrong,” he assures us, squeezing Rukia’s hand gently, “Don’t worry anymore, Rukia. I will be fine.”_

_I am careful not to take away that impression while Rukia is there. But after she leaves to return to the manor, I drop the pretenses._

_“Byakuya, they don’t know why this happened. Now, you may be able to convince Rukia that everything is fine, but I know better. If they don’t know why it happened and they don’t know if it will come back, it means that if it does come back, they don’t know how to stop it.”_

_He lowers his eyes._

_“Yes, Renji, there is no guarantee that it won’t return…and because they couldn’t identify it…it would be very troubling if it did return…but we won’t do ourselves any good by worrying about it. Come, Renji. It is past dark already and I need to sleep. Come and help me fall asleep.”_

_“Like you haven’t slept enough already!” I exclaim, but I am quick to oblige._

_I slip beneath the blanket and pull him close. Just this morning, I was wondering what I would do without this feeling and now it is back. I want it to stay. I never want this feeling to leave me. Byakuya nuzzles my shoulder and rests quietly. I can’t sleep at all. I seem to hang on every breath all night. I hardly breathe as he sleeps, and when he wakes the next morning, I heave a sigh of relief and help him prepare to leave._

_“Renji,” he says quietly, “You’re reiatsu is very disturbed, “I know you didn’t sleep last night.”_

_“Don’t worry about me,” I assure him, “I’m fine.”_

_We walk slowly out of the Healing Center and back to the manor._

_“Captain Unohana suggested a few days of rest,” he says as we walk, “I’ll need you to watch over the division for me.”_

_I’m already shaking my head._

_“Rikichi is perfectly capable of running things,” I remind him, “He is really over-qualified for third seat, and you know it. I’m going to stay here and look after you.”_

_“Renji, I told you that I don’t require looking after,” he insists, touching my hand._

_“Yeah,” I laugh sarcastically, “That was right before you collapsed…remember?”_

_His smile is warm, but his eyes look tired._

_“Would you like some tea?” I ask softly._

_“Yes, arigato, Renji. Tea would be good.”_

_“Go get in bed,” I tell him, giving him a gentle shove._

_“Very well, Renji,” he answers, his dark eyes glinting playfully, “Just don’t keep me waiting.”_

_I watch him turn slowly and the silk of his kimono whispers as he retreats down the hallway._

_When I bring the tea to our bedroom, Byakuya is resting against the pillows with a calm dreamy look about his eyes. It’s the way he looks when it’s nighttime and we sit beneath the stars. I set the tea on the table beside him and watch as he raises the mug and takes a sip. He smiles his approval before setting the mug back down and falling back against the pillows. Keeping my eyes on him, I walk around the end of the bed and pull the covers back so that I can slip into bed next to him. He looks at me curiously, then wraps his arms around my shoulders. It is an embrace meant to give comfort._

_“Renji, you’re still worried…”_

_“Shouldn’t I be?” I ask, searching the depths of his dark eyes, “I’m scared, Byakuya. And if you had any sense, you would be too. I don’t want to get you all out of sorts, but I am scared. Do you want me to lie to you and say that I’m not?”_

_He places a warm hand on my cheek._

_“I wouldn’t ask you to do that. I’ve always loved your candid honesty, Renji.”_

_Now he’s really scaring me._

_“Why are you talking to me like that?” I ask, my heart pounding painfully in my chest, “Is there something you’re not telling me?”_

_He shakes his head and his eyes take on a gentle, apologetic shine._

_“No…not in the way you’re thinking. If Captain Unohana told me anything more about my condition, I would tell you, Renji. I promise that I won’t hide anything. Even if it is bad news, I will be open with you.”_

_“You think this isn’t over,” I say, and the affirmation is there in his eyes, “You think it will come back.”_

_His breath releases in a slow sigh._

_“I just feel something odd inside…that’s all, Renji,” he says, pulling me close, “but it won’t do any good to worry about it. Just…stay with me. It comforts me to feel you near me this way.”_

_His head rests on my shoulder and I feel the soft pulse of his reiatsu. He nuzzles my throat softly and then touches my face, bringing it closer to his for a light kiss. The contact is gentle and tentative, almost like that time so long ago in Inuzuri when he kissed me for the very first time. I want to go back there. I want to be anywhere but here, holding him and wondering if I’m going to lose him. _

_His face is still too warm and there is something in his eyes…a haziness, too much calm in his manner, even for him. Everything inside me is screaming for me to do something…to somehow stop the train wreck I see coming. But there is nothing I can do. This is out of our hands and we both know it._

_“Don’t be afraid, Renji,” he whispers, “even if I were to die, I would still be with you. And know also that I do not fear death. What I fear is wasted time. So let’s put this aside and use the time we have for something more enjoyable. We are not promised forever…only this moment. Let’s not waste it.”_

_I turn so that I’m leaning over him and I stare down into his black, misted eyes. I touch each eyelid with a soft kiss, then move on to claim his lips. Damn! They’re still too warm. But they are alive and they move against mine hungrily. They part, inviting my tongue to dip into his mouth, to explore that beautiful place grown so familiar. But I can’t enjoy this properly now. There is a weight to what is happening that makes my heart numb with fear. I’m clinging to his soft pale skin, hanging on for dear life. Kami, I don’t want to lose this! I don’t want this to go away._

_“Let it go, Renji,” he whispers, his lips brushing softly against my ear, “Don’t do this to yourself. There’s nothing to be gained by worrying.”_

_He touches my face, bringing my eyes around to meet his steady, calm gaze. I stare for a long moment, then bring my mouth to his again. A few kisses later, my desperation starts to fade and I see relief in his eyes._

_“That,” he says, “is much better, Renji.”_

_He reaches for the mug of tea and brings it to his lips. A moment later, his breath catches strangely and the mug drops from his hand._

_“Byakuya?” I say, reaching for him, “Byakuya, what’s happening?”_

_I catch him as he starts to fall back and ease him onto the pillows, my eyes locked on his. His gaze holds mine calmly for a moment longer and his mouth moves. A trembling hand reaches up to touch my cheek._

_“Don’t be afraid, Renji. It will be all right…”_

_His hand drops away and the dark eyes drift closed._

_“Byakuya!”_


	4. Not Fearing Love

_I drop down into a chair at Byakuya’s bedside, looking down again into the translucent chamber, studying his frozen, time-stopped form._

_“I can’t do this anymore,” I moan softly, pressing my forehead to the side of it._

_“Renji,” Rukia says, touching my shoulder, “Renji, what’s happening to him?”_

_“I don’t know,” I reply, “No one seems to know.”_

_The door opens and Yoruichi steps in. She glances at Rukia and me, then walks across the room and sits down beside Byakuya, studying him silently, her golden eyes glistening._

_“Captain Unohana asked us to stay here. She will be here in a moment to talk to us,” she says, her eyes never leaving Byakuya._

_A few minutes later, the door opens and Captain Unohana comes in, followed by Hanatoro. Her face is calm, but very serious._

_“The tests we conducted on Captain Kuchiki’s blood and reiatsu have come back. Both tell the same story. The symptoms he is experiencing are related to something that entered his system from the outside…something introduced within the last few days.”_

_“Wait a minute,” I say, staring up at her, “Are you telling me…that Byakuya has been poisoned?”_

_She nods._

_“Yes…that is exactly what I am saying. Sometime in the last few days, someone poisoned Captain Kuchiki.”_

_“What kind of poison? How bad is it? Can you counteract it?” I ask, my words tumbling over each other in haste._

_Captain Unohana sighs._

_“We cannot determine the exact poison that was used. So until we do, we cannot counteract it. We do not know how bad it will get. Captain Kurotsuchi is currently researching all known poisons that cause the symptoms displayed by Captain Kuchiki. While we wait for news, all we can do is to manage the symptoms.”_

_“Manage the symptoms?” I say sarcastically, “How do you manage falling into unconsciousness and declining reiatsu? You can’t manage those symptoms.”_

_“Actually,” she says softly, “we can. But the question becomes…do we want to? Certainly, I can use a stimulant to wake him and keep him from losing consciousness. I can use reiatsu injections to bolster his reiatsu levels. But that assumes that he needs to be conscious and doing something.”_

_“Captain Unohana…are you suggesting that we just leave him in that chamber?” I ask angrily, “Why? Why would you want to do that?”_

_“Think of it this way,” Unohana says calmly, “If we manage the symptoms, but keep him conscious, the symptoms will get worse as the poison takes over. I will be forced to use more and more powerful methods to keep him on his feet, until finally the symptoms will no longer be controllable. If he remains in suspended animation, the poison’s effects will halt and we will have time to search for a way to counteract it.”_

_“Are there any dangers associated with being left in the chamber for an extended time?” Rukia asks softly._

_Unohana lowers her eyes._

_“Each time we use the chamber, there is an increasingly greater possibility that we will not be able to wake him.”_

_“So we really can’t leave him there while we figure this out,” I conclude, “besides, Byakuya once told me that he and I are most vulnerable when we are separated…and he was right. We are going to need his input in this. This is his life we’re talking about. He should have a choice.”_

_“Renji is right,” Yoruichi adds softly._

_Her voice sounds choked and when she looks up, there are tears staining her cheeks._

_“Byakuya should be the one to decide.”_

_The three of us look at each other and nod slowly in agreement._

_“Very well,” says Captain Unohana._

_She moves to Byakuya’s side and opens the seal on the chamber. She injects him with reiatsu, and then with the stimulant. After a few minutes, he begins to moan softly and his eyes blink open. They meet mine and it seems to me that they hold on tightly as he fights to come to full awarness._

_“What is it?” he asks, his eyes holding mine, “What’s happening?”_

_“You were poisoned, Captain Kuchiki,” Unohana explains, “We don’t yet know how, with what, or by whom. We need to make an important decision…and you should really be the one to decide.”_

_He nods in acknowledgment._

_“Captain Kurotsuchi is conducting research to isolate and identify the poison. The stealth force is conducting an investigation of all persons having access to Captain Kuchiki in the past five days. I also want to test each of your family members and all household staff. I want to know if anyone else might be affected. And there is something else that you need to know. I was informed this morning that Captain Kuchiki is not the only one who has been poisoned.”_

_“Who else was poisoned?” Byakuya asks._

_“Senbonzakura,” Unohana answers solemnly, “Byakuya, you and your zanpakuto are slowly dying from this poison. It is possible for me to place you in suspended animation for the duration of the investigation. It would halt the advance of the poison, but it could result in the suspended state becoming permanent.”_

_“And I am guessing,” Byakuya says, his eye falling on Senbonzakura leaned against the wall, “that although I can be placed in suspended animation, my zanpakuto cannot?”_

_“That is correct,” Unohana says softly._

_Byakuya nods._

_“I will have a fate no different than Senbonzakura’s,” he says softly._

_We’re all absorbing Byakuya’s answer when a hell butterfly arrives and settles lightly on Unohana’s fingertip._

_“Captain Unohana,” Kurotsuchi’s voice says, “I have completed preliminary research on the samples you provided me and I can tell you a few things about the poison. First, I can tell you that it is a progressive poison…meaning that after the initial poisoning, this poison spreads throughout the infected organism, causing fatigue, malaise, loss of consciousness, and declining reiatsu. These effects will increase over time until they incapacitate and kill the organism. Secondly, the poison is of a class not of legal use in Soul Society because if it infects a soul reaper…it can also infect that soul reaper’s zanpakuto. The zanpakuto will slowly begin to lose its connection with its wielder and if not counteracted, it will kill the zanpakuto as well. An interesting note. The samples you sent indicated that Captain Kuchiki was infected prior to the infection of his zanpakuto…and that he was exposed to the poison more than once. That being said, your first concern must be to locate the source of the infection. Once you do that, I will need you to try to collect a clean sample of the poison, if possible. I should be able to build a counteragent from that. Finally, you need to move quickly on this. Assuming he was infected in the past two or three days, Captain Kuchiki and his zanpakuto have about one week for us to come up with the counteragent!”_

_The hell butterfly flutters away. We all sit staring, no one quite knowing what to say. Finally, Yoruichi breaks the silence._

_“I am going to see Kisuke. Captain Unohana, if you could provide some samples, I could have Kisuke study them. He’s very talented at this kind of thing.”_

_Unohana nods._

_“Yes he is…And we would be fortunate to have his assistance.”_

_She turns back to the rest of us._

_“Until we know more, I am going to recommend that Byakuya return home. I will provide medications to manage the symptoms. As soon as word comes about the investigation, I will summon you.”_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_When we arrive at the manor, Byakuya turns toward the forest trail. I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him._

_“Where are you going? Shouldn’t you be resting?” I ask._

_He gives me a calm stare._

_“Renji, the symptoms are under control, for now. I have done little but sleep for the past several days. I need to walk and reflect a bit.”_

_“Is it okay if I come with you?” I ask._

_His eyes soften._

_“Of course, Renji. Please, join me…”_

_We make our way down the forest trail, wind blowing the sakura petals, making them spin in the air around us. His reiatsu is amazingly calm, considering he just got the news he only has about a week to live. _

_As we reach the end of the trail, we hear the hard crash of water against rock and the force of the impact leaves a fine mist in the air. Byakuya sits beneath one of the cherry trees at the top of the cliff. He leans back against the tree and I settle between his bent and spread knees with my back rested against his chest, my head leaned back against his shoulder. We rest there until darkness comes and the sky fills with stars. There is no moon tonight. He doesn’t tell me any stories about the stars this time. We just sit beneath them, touched with their glow sharing each other’s warmth in the cool of the night. Finally, Byakuya stirs._

_“I think they’ll have dinner ready soon,” he says, pulling free of me._

_He starts to get to his feet, but as he stands, he gives a sharp anguished gasp and drops down onto his hands and knees, his head lowered and his body shaking heavily._

_“Renji!” he hisses in a trembling voice._

_I drop down beside him and put an arm around him._

_“What is it? What’s happening?” I ask._

_He looks up at me with haunted eyes that are quickly filling with tears._

_“Renji,” he cries softly, “I can’t feel Senbonzakura! It was there just a moment ago, but now…it’s gone!”_

_“Hey,” I tell him, pulling him close, “Captain Unohana said that it would happen over time. Don’t panic. I’m sure this is just temporary. It wouldn’t happen all at once like this. Shh, it’s okay. It’ll come back, I promise.”_

_He clings to me, still shaking, but he breathes a little more deeply and settles gradually. A few minutes later, a tremor passes through him and he releases a sigh that sounds like a soft whimper._

_“You okay?” I ask, pulling back to look at him._

_His expression is a mixture of relief and exhaustion._

_“I’m okay now. I think you were right, Renji. It did come back. I knew it would happen. That part didn’t surprise me…but I guess I wasn’t expecting it so soon. I’m sorry if I frightened you with my reaction.”_

_I hold him tightly against me._

_“Don’t you worry about me. You just worry about yourself and Senbonzakura. I wasn’t frightened. I was just worried about you.”_

_“Arigato, Renji.”_

_He slowly stands, bending to brush the dust off of his clothes. We walk slowly back to the manor, not saying anything, We say little at dinner and eat even less, then we slip into bed and lie there for a long time just holding each other quietly. Finally, he sighs softly and turns in my arms._

_“Renji?” he says, looking up into my eyes, “Do you remember the first time we made love?”_

_“Yeah, of course I do. As I recall, you were ready to run. You said you didn’t want to fall in love with me.”_

_“Because…for me, love equals loss. I said those words…but that wasn’t what was in my heart. I wasn’t being honest with myself, Renji. I tried to tell myself that I would rather die than feel the love that I was feeling for you. It was because I was afraid. I spent so much time being afraid that I would lose you. That was wasted time, Renji. Loving you was never something I needed to fear.”_

_His lips brush mine and pull away again._

_“I choose to believe that you and I are going to come out of this okay. But I need to know that you believe it too. Because, I know if we both believe in it…then it will happen that way.”_

_“Well, I do believe it will be okay.”_

_“Good,” he whispers, brushing his lips against mine again, “Now I want you to do something for me, Renji.”_

_“Anything, Byakuya. I’ll do whatever you ask.”_

_“Make love with me.”_

_It strikes me all of a sudden how quiet everything has gotten. I can’t hear the wind in the trees or the trickle of water in the koi pond. There’s a deep silence that seems to start inside me and it creates a barrier all around. I hear what he asked me to do, but I feel frozen…cold…alone. It’s like he’s here, but at the same time, he isn’t. And I wonder for a moment, if I try to reach out and touch him, will he disappear? He’s looking into my eyes like he understands exactly what I’m thinking. He touches my face and smiles._

_“Don’t be afraid to love me, Renji. That fear is a waste of time…and this time is precious. Make love with me, Renji.”_

_He does understand._

_He knows._

_Because he’s been here before…only now it’s he who is dying…and I’m being left behind._

_I touch his hair and I try to remember the first time it touched my skin. It was a few days after I became his vice captain. I asked a question and when he turned his head, his hair brushed against my hand. Even before I loved him, I knew how soft it was. I longed even then to sink my fingers into it. I kiss his forehead, his eyes, his open mouth. He moans softly into my mouth, sliding his hands down my back and pulling my hips in closer. His hands push open my kimono and trace the dark lines like they have a thousand times, but this time his touch burns. My lips brush against his pale throat and he tilts his head back, moaning my name_

_Suddenly, I want to touch every inch of him. I want to explore every curve, every bit of softness…everything! So I run my hands over his body, curling then gently around his head, threading my fingers through his hair, stroking his face, then letting soft kisses follow those searching hands all over his body._

_“Renji…” he whispers, “Renji…”_

_His thighs part and I sink down in between them. I bury my face in his throat, kissing, stroking with my tongue and sucking gently as I slowly enter him. I stop for a moment…long enough to capture his beautiful dark eyes. Then I move slowly…like I did that first time, when we fell in love…in Inuzuri. He moves with me, his eyes locked on mine, his hands sliding down to my hips, and his lips curving upward in a sweet contented smile. I know we’re moving faster, that the sensations are becoming more intense, but everything keeps that soft feeling of slow motion, even so. I feel his hands grip my shoulders and his hip rise up sharply against mine. The rough feeling of him moaning and panting against my shoulder sends me reeling and I release deep inside him. I stay buried inside him for a long time after, stroking his face and hair, and indulging in a light play of kisses all over his face and throat._

_I wait until he has drifted off to sleep before I let the tears fall._


	5. Poisoned Kisses

_The medication Captain Unohana gave Byakuya must work well, because the next morning he is up at his normal time and out in the garden with Takeshi and Chisaki. Byakuya is lying on his stomach in the grass face to face with Takeshi, sprinkling grass into his red hair, then blowing it gently away as our little warrior gives a series of sharp battle cries. Chisaki has taken a position on his back and has pretty much fallen asleep. Now and then, she makes a soft cooing sound._

_I stumble out into the garden and sit nearby, watching them silently. I feel Byakuya’s eyes come to rest on me several times and finally, he calls me on it._

_“Renji, stop looking at me as though I’m going to disappear. The medication is helping. I actually feel quite good today. Why don’t we take the kids down to the base of the waterfall to play in the water?”_

_“Sure, Bya,” I answer, not really hearing him, “whatever you want.”_

_“Da…da…da…bya” says Chisaki, petting his hair._

_“Now look what you’ve done!” he says smiling, “You’ve got her calling me that too!”_

_He notices that I don’t really react and gently pulls away from the kids. Chisaki takes offense and raises a fuss. He picks her up and she laughs._

_“Da…da…da…bya…”_

_“Renji…you seem quite distracted. I understand…really, but, we should try to do something to improve your mood.”_

_“Please don’t suggest sparring!” I moan, allowing a smile to form._

_“No? Perhaps not. How about work?”_

_Okay, that’s just confusing right now. If I can’t focus on fun with the kids, how am I going to focus on work?_

_“I don’t know,” I answer noncommittally._

_ “I haven’t spent any time with the new squad members yet. They’re going to be on the training ground later. We could make a brief visit.”_

_“Sure, okay.”_

_Rukia and Yoruichi walk out into the garden and take the kids into the house for a nap. Byakuya disappears back into the house and returns in uniform…looking for all intents and purposes like it is any other day. _

_“Come, Renji, we need to get out and get our minds working.”_

_I don’t answer, but I get up and walk with him out the front of the house and through the busy streets to the 6th Division training ground. Rikichi is already there with the new squad members. As we walk onto the grounds, Rikichi is in the midst of releasing his eagle Shikai and showing the new members his special ability, then he tells them to practice Shikai while the three of us observe. The new kids are petrified, of course, when they see Byakuya, but he is quick to put them at ease. He turns to watch as Takeo releases his shadow wolf form and smiles in approval._

_“That is a powerful Shikai,” he says, looking at the young man who wields it._

_Takeo smiles back at him in gratitude._

_“Thank you, Captain Kuchiki,” he says, blinking as though he’s a little stunned to actually be talking to Byakuya._

_He pauses, gathering his nerve, then speaks to Byakuya again._

_“Sir, could you show us your Shikai? I’ve never seen it up close before.”_

_Ren and Fumio move to join us as Byakuya nods and draws his sword. I pace off a few steps and release Zabimaru for my protection._

_“Scatter, Senbonzakura,” Byakuya intones._

_As I watch, I notice a distinct pause and Byakuya winces. Then the sword releases and the petal blades sweep across the training ground to break against Zabimaru. The new squad members look mesmerized. He spends a few more minutes talking with them and then they leave to return to the barracks with Rikichi. As I return to his side, I notice he is sweating a bit and he looks little uncomfortable._

_“Are you okay?” I ask._

_“Yes, Renji,” he says quietly, “but…I don’t know if you noticed, but Senbonzakura did not release properly.”_

_“I saw that,” I acknowledge._

_He is about to say more when a hell butterfly arrives._

_“Captain Kuchiki, please report to the 4th Division for a reading of medical test results.”_

_We flash step off to the Healing Center. Captain Unohana takes us into a private room and we wait as she gathers the results to show us._

_“First, I need to know…is the medication helping?” she asks._

_Byakuya nods._

_“Yes, I feel quite good today. But Senbonzakura is a bit out of sorts. I had trouble releasing Shikai earlier.”_

_“Yes, well we were expecting that. If you are feeling well, then we don’t need to adjust the medication yet. Now, as to the report from the stealth force. They have completed background checks on all who had direct contact with Captain Kuchiki in the past five days and have not turned up anyone we would deem dangerous to him. No one seemed connected to him in anything but a positive way. So we still don’t know who did this or why. But we did turn up something of extreme importance. That’s why I called you here. This just came in from Captain Kurotsuchi. I sent him the samples of reiatsu from family members and household staff. One result came back very odd.”_

_She pauses._

_“Renji…apparently, you and your zanpakuto are carriers of the poison.”_

_Byakuya and I stare at her, but neither of us can speak at first._

_“What do you mean?” asks Byakuya finally, “How can Renji carry the poison? He isn’t ill.”_

_“No,” Captain Unohana says softly, “He isn’t ill because the manner of this poison’s distribution is very odd. It is first used to affect a host organism, then it launches attacks on another using the host as a means.”_

_“What? You mean I can spread this? Bya, what if I…”_

_“Easy, Renji, listen. No one else in your family nor anyone else will be affected.”_

_“And how do you know this?” Byakuya asks._

_“I know this because we found that the poison in your system attaches to one other organism and attacks it repeatedly until the organism is destroyed. It is an illegal compound used by nefarious groups as a tool for assassination.”_

_“You said that it attacks the other repeatedly,” I say, my heart numb, “You’re saying that I poisoned Byakuya…not just once, but over and over…How?”_

_Unohana sighs._

_It appears to have been passed to Byakuya through direct physical contact…most probably, kissing.”_

_“Kami!” I whisper, the shock making my legs weak, “I poisoned Byakuya?”_

_“That is not all,” she goes on, “It appears that Senbonzakura was poisoned during the exhibition, when the two of you sparred and your weapons were in direct contact. The nature of this attack is very deliberate. Someone wanted to kill Byakuya and they wanted you to be the means for doing that.”_

_I drop into a chair and Byakuya puts a hand on my shoulder. I can’t help but pull away. He looks down at me with deep concern._

_“So what does this mean for us, Captain?” Byakuya asks, his eyes still fixed on mine._

_“It means that to avoid further poison transfer, we must eliminate the poison in Renji and Zabimaru.”_

_“Is that possible? And if so, why can’t you do something to cure Byakuya?”_

_“Renji and Zabimaru are carriers. The poison is actually suspended on them as opposed to within them. It can be removed. We have technology here that can do this. But Byakuya has been fully affected. In him, this poison must be counteracted.”_

_“I still don’t understand why it hurt him but not me.”_

_Unohana shakes her head sadly._

_“As I said, it was designed for the specific purpose of assassination and has only rarely been used. To counteract it, we need a pure sample. I am hoping we can take one while we remove the poison from Renji and Zabimaru.”_

_“Then do it,” I tell her, “Remove it right now.”_

_She nods._

_“Come with me, Renji.”_

_I get up to follow her. As we walk out the door, I notice Byakuya staring out the window, a lost look in his dark eyes._

_We’re wondering the same thing. Who would hate him this much?_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Are you all right?” Byakuya asks as we walk back towards home, “That can’t have been easy for you to hear, Renji.”_

_“No…I’m not all right, Byakuya!” I say angrily, “I poisoned you! I did this to you! How in the hell am I supposed to deal with that?”_

_He puts a hand on my arm. I jerk away._

_“Renji…” he says softly, “don’t…”_

_“Don’t what? Damn it, Byakuya, someone used me to poison you! I personally handed you a death sentence. I can’t…wrap my mind around that…”_

_Tears threaten, but I blink them away. Byakuya steps closer and takes my face in his hands._

_“You did not hurt me.”_

_“What the fuck? You heard what she said, Byakuya! And you know what kills me? You know what really tears me up? It’s…it’s that while we were making love…I was killing you!”_

_Byakuya puts his arms around me. I try to pull away, but he holds me so that I can’t._

_“I can’t stand this, Byakuya, I can’t! I can’t stand the thought that if you die, I’m the one who killed you!”_

_His eyes are clear and calm. He leads me along the street and back home. I’m too caught up in this awful feeling to pay attention. I can’t believe I was used to hurt him like that. I thought it was bad before, when Sosuke Aizen used me to…_

_“Byakuya,” I say suddenly, brushing the tears out of my eyes, “Do you think that Sosuke Aizen did this?”_

_He considers it for a moment._

_“Actually, Renji, I don’t think so. Sosuke Aizen has long sought to gain control of my power. He never really indicated a desire for my death.”_

_“What’s really odd is that no one has contacted you. I mean, wouldn’t they want you to know they were behind this…at least to tell you the reason why?”_

_“It is odd, but not unheard of, Renji,” he answers quietly, “Perhaps the person is waiting for a certain time to reveal things. Perhaps he or she will begin to reveal his or her identity soon.”_

_“I hope so,” I say, trying to keep new tears from forming, “I want to kill the bastard who would use me against you like this, Byakuya!”_

_He turns and reaches for me. A look of surprise crosses his face when I step back. There is a long silence between us. There is hurt in his voice when he speaks again._

_“Renji, Captain Unohana assured us that the poison is gone from your system now. There is no added danger to concern ourselves with. Why do you keep doing that?”_

_“I don’t know, Byakuya. I don’t know. I just…after what I did…”_

_He closes the distance and doesn’t let me pull away._

_“Renji,” he says softly, “You are only allowing whoever did this to attempt to separate us in another, faster and even more painful way. Don’t withdraw from me like that. I can handle the thought of dying. I can’t handle the thought of you distancing yourself from me.”_

_I can’t look at his eyes. That really hurt him. It seems I’m only improving in my ability to do that._

_“Byakuya…I don’t want to be distant…but…I can’t stand the thought that me loving you could kill you.”_

_“Renji…please hear me. This is not your fault. I don’t know what else to say, but since you seem to need some space, some time to think things through, I won’t pressure you. I will…be here at home when you are ready to…return.”_

_He turns and flash steps away._

_I walk aimlessly down the streets of the Sereitei, my mind spinning. I can’t focus. All of my thoughts mix together and I can’t center myself. I lose track of things for a while and I find myself walking out the main gates of the Sereitei…into the Rukon District. I keep going even after night falls. I don’t stop until I reach Inuzuri. I find the old tree I used to sleep in and climb up into the branches. The rough bark feels comfortable and familiar. It’s not long before the memories carry me off to sleep._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Captain Kuchiki, what are you doing here?” asks Rikichi as I enter the office, “You were supposed to be taking a few days off.”_

_“Technically, I am,” I tell him, but I’m not accustomed to being out of the office so much. I just thought I’d catch up on a few things.”_

_I notice then that the new squad members are gathered around Renji’s desk and Rikichi has obviously been discussing battle tactics and procedures. As I look over at them, I notice that Takeo is looking back with an odd expression. As soon as he sees I am looking back, the odd look is replaced by a more awed, pleased expression._

_I work quietly for a while before Takeo appears at my side with a cup of tea._

_“Rikichi said you like it prepared this way,” he says, setting the tea down._

_“Arigato, Takeo,” I say, taking the tea and sipping, “You managed it very well.”_

_“Arigato, Captain, sir,” he says, then he returns to Rikichi._

_I continue to work, but my mind keeps straying back to Renji. I know his reiatsu feels far away. As the workday ends and everyone begins to leave, I start to dislike the quiet that closes in around me. Soon everyone has gone home and I am alone, working late into the night, aware that Renji still has not returned. I begin to feel a loneliness that I thought I had left behind, but with Renji withdrawn and far away, it returns with a vengeance._

_I try digging deeper into my work, but fatigue is sweeping through me and soon I sit back, sighing, knowing I should really go home…but home isn’t home without Renji there. I could cope better if he was out on assignment, but the truth is, it hurts that he left and hasn’t returned. But he was devastated. I can’t blame him for being shell-shocked. I tell myself again that he’ll be back soon, that he will work his way through and everything will be all right._

_I am still trying to convince myself of this, when suddenly Senbonzakura’s reiatsu pulses sharply, sending a jolt through my body that makes my mind spin. I pull the sword free and try to connect with the spirit within. There is no answer, just a confused mix of sensations and a feeling of terror. I try to send calm reiatsu through the blade’s length, but I sense that it isn’t reaching the sword’s spirit. As I make another frantic attempt, I am stunned to see the blade dissolve into petal blades. I reach out to control them, but they do not respond to my thoughts. They spin madly and out of control, sending papers flying and closing in on me. The last thought I have before they reach me is that Renji is so far away, he might not realize what has happened._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_It is nearly midnight, when I wake in the tree and notice that I feel cramped and cold. I feel better for having slept, but I know I should really go back home. Whatever the circumstances, Byakuya needs me. I shouldn’t be out here feeling sorry for myself while he is at home, alone and sick. I feel bad for even leaving, but his words warm me._

_“I will be here at home when you return.”_

_It’s time to do that. In truth, I shouldn’t have left._

_I drop down out of the tree and notice that a cloud of mist is all around me. It gives me a creepy feeling of memory. It’s like it was back then._

_“Kasumi…” I whisper._

_I hadn’t thought about it for so long before that dream I had. It’s strange that I came here tonight. I wonder at that. What is going on? As I turn to leave, I hear the crunching of feet on the ground behind me. I turn to look…and I am still alone. Strange. It almost felt like she was there for a second._

_I turn towards home. I have barely taken the first few steps when I feel the raging of Senbonzakura’s reiatsu. Byakuya’s rises as well. There is the shocking sensation of the two forces crashing against each other…then both sets of reiatsu decline sharply. I flash step toward the Sereitei fast enough to challenge Byakuya’s speed._


	6. Return to Inuzuri

_“Captain Kuchiki?” says a soft, feminine voice._

_My eyes blink open and try to focus. Retsu Unohana’s face slowly materializes in the haze around me._

_“Thank goodness,” she says, relief in both her voice and the pretty blue eyes that meet mine, “You gave us a little fright there…but it looks like you’ll be fine.”_

_Something feels very wrong. She sees the expression on my face and her smile fades._

_“Ah…I’m sorry, Captain. I had to put a seal on you zanpakuto. It was out of control. It destroyed your office and the two of you clashed with a great deal of force. You are fortunate that you were still strong enough to fend off its attack.”_

_“What happened to Senbonzakura?” I ask, my heart skipping painfully._

_“I will be honest with you, Byakuya. Your zanpakuto is experiencing great amounts of stress. The poison is affecting it with greater force than it is affecting you. I fear that your zanpakuto could soon reach a critical juncture. We must find a way to counteract this poison soon…or your zanpakuto will die.”_

_Her words are still sinking in when the door bursts open and Renji charges into the room. There is something about the frantic look in his eyes and on his face, the fact he almost took the door off the hinges, and the way he throws his arms around me so tightly. It gives a sense of strength back to me._

_“Kami, Byakuya, I felt your reiatsu and Senbonzakura’s clash and decline, and I thought that you two had killed each other!”_

_“I…I’m fine, Renji, really. I was able to shield myself. I lost consciousness, but I’m fine now, really. It’s Senbonzakura that is failing right now. I’m afraid my zanpakuto is dying more quickly than I am. They had to put a seal on it…for everyone’s protection.”_

_He’s still holding me very tightly and his eyes still look panicked. I sink into the embrace for the warmth and the comfort I was missing before._

_“I really missed you, Renji. I know you needed time to process things, but it was…empty here without you.”_

_“I know,” he says, putting his hands on my face, “and I shouldn’t have gone. I just felt so bad that I’d been used to hurt you. I couldn’t stand that feeling. I’m sorry I ever left. It won’t happen again, I promise! But…Byakuya…you said you lost consciousness. How did you get here?”_

_“I don’t know, actually,” I admit, “I only just woke up.”_

_“It was one of your squad members,” Captain Unohana explained, “He’s waiting outside. He was very worried about you, Captain Kuchiki.”_

_“Very well,” I tell her, “He may come in. I would like to thank him.”_

_She leaves the room and a moment later, the door opens and Takeo comes in. He looks a bit shaken and he still seems intimidated by me._

_“Takeo,” I say softly, “I understand that I have you to thank for finding me and calling for assistance.”_

_“Sir…I…I’m glad you’re okay. But, sir, what happened? It was your zanpakuto, wasn’t it?”_

_I am not ready for this to become common knowledge._

_“It…was an accident. It has been taken care of…arigato.”_

_“But, Captain…I saw it. I saw Senbonzakura attack you! Why would your zanpakuto attack you?” he asks, wide-eyed._

_“I have been ill…and that affected my zanpakuto somehow. But do not concern yourself with that. Just know that I appreciate your swift response…”_

_“I do have a question,” Renji says, pulling away from me, “What were you doing there in the office so late?”_

_“Oh, that! I just…had to go back because I…I forgot my zanpakuto. I was embarrassed, because, you know, who the heck forgets something like that, right? So I slipped back in to get it…and I saw Senbonzakura attack the captain,” he explains._

_“Ah, well, Takeo,” I say, “it is very late…and as you see, I am fine now. You should report back to the barracks and get some sleep. I understand that Rikichi is having you work on kido tomorrow.”_

_“Yes sir. I’m glad you’re okay, sir.” He says, before turning and leaving the room._

_I sit quietly for a moment as Renji approaches and slips his arms around me again. I lean against his shoulder, thinking. He looks closely at me._

_“Byakuya, what’s on your mind? You look like something is troubling you. I mean, besides the obvious.”_

_“Renji…Takeo was lying…about his zanpakuto,” I say finally._

_“He was lying?” Renji repeats questioningly, “What do you mean? How do you know?”_

_“I know because I saw him come in. It happened very quickly…but I remember…Renji, he was wearing his zanpakuto when he came in.”_

_“But why lie about that?” Renji asks softly, “Byakuya, you don’t think he has anything to do with the poisoning, do you?”_

_“I’m a long way from knowing the answer to that, Renji,” I admit, “But we should follow any possibilities.”_

_“But, Byakuya, the stealth force determined he had no connection to you. He wasn’t considered a danger.”_

_“Yes,” I agree, “I was just thinking about that. Renji, what if we were wrong about the central target in all of this? What if it wasn’t me that was the target…but you?”_

_“Me? Why would anyone target me? I don’t understand,” Renji objects, “And why poison you if I was the target?”_

_“Again, we are a long way from having those answers, but now we can at least pursue this. Renji, I want you to go personally to Captain Soi Fon and request a complete background on Takeo. I want to know where he grew up, who he is associated with, and if he has any connection, not just to me, but to you.”_

_“Okay…but what do we do with the kid in the mean time? Should we confine him?”_

_“No…no, I think not. Renji, it is doubtful that one such as he could be working alone in this. How would he come into possession of that substance? How would he even be aware of it? He is connected to someone with a great deal of power. We need to find out who that person is.”_

_“So what are you suggesting?” Renji asks._

_“I think that we need to let him get closer to me.”_

_“Uh, Byakuya, don’t forget, this kid might be the one who poisoned you. Why would you let him close to you. What if he decides to attack you?”_

_“I doubt that will happen, Renji. I think that if he was sent to poison me, he may just be watching to be certain I die…but if that is the case, then why would he help me? There is so much we don’t know. I think if I let him close to me, he may give something away.”_

_“It sounds dangerous, Byakuya. I don’t like the idea of you letting a murderer get that close to you.”_

_“Well,” I remind him, “I am already dying…and the ones who poisoned me seem content to wait for it to work.”_

_“That’s quite a risky assumption. I mean it’s great if you’re right, but what if seeing him close to you makes them want to speed things up?”_

_“I think that’s a risk we have to take. Tomorrow I’ll send orders that Takeo is to attend me. We will watch his movements and see what we find.”_

_“Captain Unohana, is Byakuya well enough to come home?” Renji asks._

_“Yes,” she says, nodding, “Just remember to rest and please, do not remove the seal on Senbonzakura.”_

_“I will not,” I promise her, but my heart aches thinking of my zanpakuto locked away and dying alone._

_I, at least, have Renji._

_We leave the Healing Center and start back toward home. As we near the 6th Division office, something occurs to me._

_“Renji, I just thought of something. If Takeo wasn’t in the office to retrieve his zanpakuto, then why was he there? What was he there to do?”_

_“That’s a good question, Byakuya.”_

_“Should we, perhaps, visit the office to see if he might have decided to return?”_

_“Good idea,” Renji agrees._

_We go to the back entrance into the Captain’s Quarters and slip quietly into the hallway. Soft sounds issue from the dark office ahead of us._

_“Someone’s working late,” Renji whispers, “and without light.”_

_I nod and move toward the partially open door, carefully peering around it. Sure enough, Takeo is in the office. He appears to be carefully searching Renji’s desk. I put a hand on Renji’s arm so that he won’t give us away, and we watch as Takeo searches the desk, then sighs in frustration. He starts to move toward where we are concealed, so we slip back into the Captain’s Quarters and softly close the door. We hear him enter the hall, then we hear a small scraping and some soft clicks._

_“Lockpick,” I mouth to Renji._

_There is a larger click and then the sound of the door into the Vice Captain’s Quarters opens and closes. I turn to Renji._

_“Renji,” I whisper, “obviously, you have something that he wants to obtain. If he does not find it here, I think we should definitely have him come to the manor to attend me. He will undoubtedly attempt to search for whatever it is there. We can trip him up and find out what his mission is. But we must be careful. Assuming there is someone very powerful behind all of this, if we let them know we suspect Takeo, they could take more drastic measures.”_

_“Like trying to kill you sooner…”_

_“Or killing you.”_

_“Bya…we need to get the kids somewhere safe.”_

_“Yes,” I agree, “I am certain Yoruichi will have no problem watching over them in Karakura Town. We shall send them off first thing in the morning.”_

_“Okay,” says Renji, “but what do we do now? I think I heard him come out of my quarters. Do we try to follow?”_

_“Yes, come.”_

_We peek into the hallway and see Takeo’s retreating back. We wait until he turns the corner, then silently flash step to the corner and follow at a safe distance. We are cautious because we notice him looking around quite a bit. He walks down several dark streets, then slips into a bar. _

_I turn to Renji and pull out his hair tie._

_“What the…Bya, what are you doing?”_

_“Shh, I’m going incognito,” I say, removing the kenseiken and pulling my hair back, fastening it with Renji’s hair tie._

_I remove the scarf, wrist guards and haori as well, handing these to Renji._

_“I am less recognizable than you without these,” I tell him softly._

_He nods._

_“Just be careful, Byakuya. You don’t know who he might be meeting…only that he might work for someone powerful.”_

_I nod briefly, then slip into the bar. It is late, but not too late for revelry and that means that the bar contains a lot of people. It makes it a lot easier to blend in…and the darkness of the interior works in my favor. It seems that I am not recognized._

_I move carefully around the room until I spot Takeo sitting quietly at a booth, looking as though he is waiting for someone. I see a booth near him is unoccupied and slip into it. A few minutes later, I hear someone greet Takeo and I turn for a quick glance. I do not recognize the man, but I memorize his features carefully. Then I listen._

_“Did you find it, kid?”_

_“No sir.” Takeo says in an intimidated voice, “I searched very carefully. It wasn’t in his desk at the division or his quarters.”_

_“We need to get someone into the manor. Can you do that, or do we need to remove you from this?”_

_“I can do it. I can,” Takeo tells him, sounding frightened, “Just…I will do it tomorrow.”_

_“Very well,” says the other, “You have until tomorrow night or we will assume you are not capable. Raiden is not a patient man. He wants that information back in our hands.”_

_“I don’t know why it matters,” comments Takeo in a small voice, “It has been many years and they are in Hueco Mundo, so why worry about who has that information?”_

_The larger man grabs the younger by the front of his shirt._

_“We still have people here who will be exposed. We have to get back the information she stole. We know it never reached the Sereitei and he was the last one she saw. He must have hidden it somewhere. Find it, worm…”_

_“I…I will!” Takeo gasps, “I promise!”_

_The man shoves him backwards and turns away, disappearing out the front door. Takeo moves to go out the back door. I move to the front and follow the one who Takeo had spoken to. He walks down to the end of the street and turns. I flash step after him and I feel Renji join me. We follow him down several dark streets, careful to keep our distance, but eventually, he reaches the main gate and heads out into the Rukon District._

_“Should we keep going?” Renji asks me._

_I signal for him to continue to follow. The one we follow takes a circuitous route that suggests that he is being very cautious. We realize after a time that he is headed toward Inuzuri. We follow until he reaches a dark warehouse. I grab Renji’s arm and pull him down behind some bushes, pointing up to a lookout, who just misses spotting us._

_“Perhaps this is some sort of illegal group. This may be their headquarters. We have to be careful, Renji. We need to have members of the stealth force monitor this building and we need to see what we can get out of Takeo. We need to know what they think you have.”_

_“Did you find out anything at the bar?” Renji asks._

_“A little. He is looking for something that a man named Raiden thinks that you were given by someone who is female. It was supposed to have happened some time ago. I do not know where or under what circumstances. It is information that is somehow connected to Sosuke Aizen, because they made references to those now in Hueco Mundo. This may be some kind of covert group of his operating here. It sounds as though the information includes names of Aizen’s operatives who are still in Soul Society. We need to…”_

_All at once, my head begins to spin and my heart pounds strangely. I feel unconsciousness coming on and I hold on to Renji as his arms surround me and ease me to the ground._

_“I’ll take you to Michi,” he says as things go dark._

_When I wake, I find myself tucked warmly into a comfortable bed with Renji at my side._

_“You okay now, Byakuya?” he asks, “I told Michi about the poison and he seemed to know what to give you. I guess it worked.”_

_“Yes,” I say softly, “I do feel better now.”_

_“Well, we’re staying here tonight, so don’t get any ideas about running off.”_

_“I have no intention of running off!” I tell him indignantly, “I have every intention of spending this night right here in your arms, Renji.”_

_“What’s left of the night…” he comments, pulling me close._

_My mouth finds his in the darkness. At first, he seems tentative, but I tease his lips gently until they part. My tongue strokes his gently and I press closer. We both know the truth of things is that I am weakening. At this point, I’m not up to much more than exchanging kisses and gentle touches, so we content ourselves with that until sleep finally overtakes us._


	7. Monsters

_I’m always more inclined to sleep late than Byakuya and we were awake the greater portion of last night, so it is late in the morning before I come awake again. Byakuya’s body still rests heavily against mine and he is deeply asleep._

_“Byakuya,” I say, stroking his face gently, “C’mon, wake up. We need to go home.”_

_He doesn’t move. I feel a stab of fear._

_“Byakuya,” I call, rubbing his wrists._

_There is no response. I try to wake him gradually with kisses, but I quickly realize that he is, once again, unconscious. I go to find Michi who confirms this and immediately sends for Captain Unohana._

_“This poison is very strong and Byakuya is held tightly in its grip, now. Even though her stronger power will wake him, you must know that his time is running out,” Michi tells me._

_“Damn! We were just getting to the point where we were finding some answers. Michi, I need his help. I don’t know if I can figure this out on my own.”_

_He puts a comforting hand on my shoulder._

_“She will wake him and get him on his feet again. Between us all, we will give him the strength to fight for his life. Trust in that.”_

_“But there is so much to do, Michi. I have to know why that group targeted me…what they think was given to me…and by whom. I need to know why they used me to poison Byakuya like that. That part wasn’t just about this information they want. It was personal…like payback.”_

_“I know the group that occupies the warehouse, Renji,” Michi states quietly, “I will tell you what I know, but then you must not fail to shut them down, because they will learn I have told you about them…and I will disappear in the blink of an eye. They are dangerous, Renji. I think you know now just how dangerous they are.”_

_I can’t help but stare in surprise. But Michi has lived here in Inuzuri for so many years…it makes sense._

_“Renji, back before Sosuke Aizen left the Sereitei, he gathered a group of soul reapers together to set the groundwork for his rise to power. They handled many different kinds of tasks for him. They went out searching for support amongst the soul reapers and here in the Rukon District…even among the hollow. It shows how far he was willing to go to gain power. They also prepared hideouts and gathered intelligence for him. The head captain became aware of this group’s activities and sent a special agent to infiltrate the group and to bring back information on its activities and personnel. That agent’s name was Kasumi.”_

_“What the hell?” I gasp, “Not…”_

_“Yes…she wasn’t what she seemed at all, Renji. She was carefully concealed. She looked just like a Rukon teen given to prostitution. That’s what everyone was supposed to think. But she was a carefully placed agent…and she was the best, Renji. She infiltrated the group as planned and she gathered information over several months, which she compiled and stored on a special computer chip. She placed this inside a blue pendant she always wore and she was supposed to deliver it to her associate to take to the head captain.”_

_“I remember the pendant,” I say softly, “It disappeared the day she died.”_

_“Yes, it did. This is where the story gets complicated. The group she infiltrated was led by a man close to Aizen named Raiden. During the course of the mission, Raiden fell in love with Kasumi, but she was not in love with him.”_

_“Wait…if she wasn’t a prostitute and she wasn’t seeing this guy, that means that the child she was having was…”_

_“Yours, Renji. The child was yours. Raiden found out she was pregnant and demanded to know who fathered the child. She wouldn’t tell him. She ran and stayed with you. But they tracked her down and they thought they killed her.”_

_What the fuck?_

_“She was dead! I was there, Michi. There were no signs of life!” I yell, “You don’t think I would have known?”_

_“She was trained to put herself into a deathlike state. They were killing her and she didn’t want her child to die, so she went into this state and she stayed that way until she was brought to me for burial preparation. I revived her. You must know, Renji, that they had hurt her too badly and she was dying, but she did tell me where to find the information…and she was able to bear your son.”_

_“I have…a son…”_

_“Yes, Renji. The boy, Takeo, grew up here in hiding. I watched out for him. I didn’t dare tell you because she said that it would be dangerous for you to know. Raiden could find out. But things took an unexpected turn. Takeo found out somehow about Kasumi and he tried to get close to Raiden to exact revenge, but Raiden became suspicious…and then through Takeo…he learned of you. He sent Takeo with the poison to set Byakuya up to die.”_

_“Why kill Byakuya and not me?” I ask in shock._

_“He knew you and Byakuya are life partners and he blamed you for them having to kill Kasumi, because you were the reason she left him. He considers it payback. But, Renji, the interesting thing is that he is convinced that you were the associate Kasumi was working with. He thinks you have the information. But you said that the pendant was gone.”_

_“Yes, she was wearing it when we were together that night…and it was gone when I found her.”_

_“The head captain never got it, so no agent took it. It is possible that it was stolen by an opportunist…but I have another theory. Renji, I believe that Raiden took the pendant, not because he knew about the chip, but as a token. He has what he seeks from you and he does not know it.”_

_“If that’s true, then we need to get that pendant back from him. But how do we do that? He knows me…he knows Byakuya and Byakuya’s in no condition for a mission anyway. Who can get the pendant?”_

_“Takeo…” Michi says softly._

_“But Michi…he is just a kid!” I say, my heart pounding, “and you said they already figured out who he is.”_

_“Yes, Renji. But Takeo is a Rukon child…and he is your child. He is strong and he is intelligent…and we are out of options.”_

_“So we send him to retrieve it…but Michi, none of this is going to help Byakuya. We need a counter-agent for the poison.”_

_He lowers his eyes._

_“There isn’t a counter-agent,” he says softly, “Byakuya is going to die, Renji.”_

_“What? How in the hell do you know that? How do you know all of this that’s going on?” I demand, “There’s only one way you could know this!”_

_“Yes,” he admits, “I am Kasumi’s associate. She was trying to get the information to me. And I know about the poison, because it was developed by the Research and Development Department in the Sereitei. It was stolen by this group. They have used it several times with perfect success.”_

_“Well,” I say, forcing down my fear, “Mayuri Kurotsuchi and Kisuke Urahara are both working on a counter-agent, so I will put my money on them to complete it in time to save him. In the mean time, I have to get Byakuya back to the Sereitei. He can’t help me anymore and we have to preserve his life for as long as possible. I’m going to convince him to let Captain Unohana place him back in suspended animation until the counter-agent is found.”_

_Michi nods and turns back to Byakuya. Suddenly, I notice that his eyes are open and although he isn’t moving much, there is comprehension. I lean over him and give him a gentle kiss._

_“You heard all that?”_

_He can’t speak at this point, but he squeezes my hand. He knows…_

_I see him gathering what strength he has, trying to speak. I lean close and I can barely hear his whisper._

_“I will have a fate…no different…than Senbonzakura.”_

_Stubborn bastard!_

_I almost say it to him, but I end up just squeezing his hand and gently kissing him on the lips._

_“Captain Unohana is on her way,” I assure him, “Just hang in there. If you’re so damned determined to stay with me, then she’ll get you back on your feet. But just so you know, I think you’re crazy, Bya. Just so you know, I think you are out of your mind!”_

_He smiles._

_“Don’t…call me that…”_

_He gives the word stubborn a whole new meaning. I love him for that._

_The door opens and Captain Unohana comes in. She quickly leans over Byakuya and spends some time examining him._

_“This is quite serious,” she says finally, “You will need to return to the Healing Center for a few hours for treatment. After that, I suggest you return home and rest.”_

_Michi and I carry Byakuya outside, while Captain Unohana releases her zanpakuto. We climb onto it and return quickly to the Healing Center in the Sereitei. While Byakuya is being treated, I inform Captain Soi Fon of the group hiding in Inuzuri and then I return to the 6th Division office. I have Takeo summoned. As he walks into the room, a very strange feeling rises up inside of me. It occurs to me that this is my kid. This is my kid and right now, he’s in a lot of trouble. And I’m expected to use him. I hate that. I don’t want to use him…not any more than I would use Takeshi so. Damn!_

_“You sent for me, sir?” he says softly._

_His eyes are red and he looks worn. I know he can’t have slept last night. I don’t know that he can do what we’re going to ask of him. But he’s already in the group. He can get to the pendant. We’re pretty much trapped in our roles right now._

_I look more closely at him, now and I start to see it. He has my eyes. He is tall for his age. Even that expression he’s wearing now, looking at me. It’s the way I looked at Byakuya when I first met him…scared witless. Then I remember…Takeo knows who I am._

_“Sir?” he says again._

_I know I can’t do this. I can’t send my kid into that den. They’re already suspicious. And he might be a Rukon kid, like me, but he isn’t battle-hardened. One mistake and they will kill him…and Kasumi’s nightmare will come true. She didn’t want me to know, because she wanted to protect him._

_“Takeo,” his name feels different when I say it now, “You are to report to the Kuchiki manor, where you will attend Captain Kuchiki for the next few days.”_

_His eyes widen with a blend of disbelief and relief._

_“Yes sir,” he says._

_“Bring clothes and supplies for several days,” I add, “This will be an on site assignment.”_

_“Yes, Vice Captain, sir,” he says, turning and racing out of the room._

_I look after him for a moment before leaving the division office to return to the Healing Center. When I enter his room, Byakuya is sitting up and even though he’s three shades too pale, he is, at least eating._

_“Well, that’s a welcome sight,” I tell him, closing the distance and pulling him into a warm embrace._

_He lets his head fall against my shoulder as I sit down on the bed next to him. Too pale…too warm…trembling just slightly. Even after a couple hours of treatment, this is the best they can do. And predictable as ever, the first words out of his mouth express concern…for me. Damn!_

_“It must have been difficult talking to Takeo. Are you all right?” he asks._

_“I’m fine. I just told him that he is assigned to attend you for the next several days. I…didn’t tell him the rest. I wanted to talk to you before talking to him about that.”_

_“What is there to say, Renji? The boy is your son. He knows who you are. There is no sense in hiding the fact that you know him as well. It would, perhaps make things easier.”_

_“He is the one who poisoned you, Byakuya. How am I supposed to deal with that?” I ask, gazing out the window._

_“It sounded to me like he was used to do that,” Byakuya says softly, “You should talk to him, Renji. We should offer him our support. He is your son. His mother is gone. It sounds to me like he really needs his father. Would you…like me to remain here tonight so that the two of you can talk?” he asks._

_I look into the depths of those beautiful dark eyes. I love him so much for this!_

_“Byakuya, if he is my son and we make it through this, you will be an important person in his life. You should be there.”_

_“I don’t…know that I’ll play any kind of role in his life, Renji. You know that I’m running out of time. And even if I survive, if I lose Senbonzakura it will take whatever life is left in me.”_

_I take him by the shoulders and he stares back at me._

_“Don’t do that, damn it! Don’t give in! You have to keep giving this all you have, Byakuya.”_

_“Renji, I heard what Michi said about the poison. There is no counter-agent, Renji. Michi said that I am going to die.”_

_I grab his face in both hands and force him to look back._

_“I don’t give a damn what Michi said, Byakuya! I don’t give a damn if every doctor in the fucking Sereitei says you’re going to die! I am choosing to believe in Kurotsuchi and Urahara. I believe in your strength. I believe in our love for each other. Byakuya, what we feel for each other broke the power of Kyoka Suigetsu! Do you understand? You are not quitting, damn you! You are going to fight until you draw your last breath! Don’t fucking talk to me like a man who expects to die!”_

_He can’t answer for a long moment. He just stares at me, wide-eyed. Then his hands come up and rest over mine on each side of his face. The dark eyes fill with tears._

_“I’m sorry, Renji,” he whispers, “You are right to be angry with me. I shouldn’t have said that.”_

_“No,” I say in a much softer voice, “you shouldn’t have. You can’t give up. Otherwise, how can I keep fighting to save you? We need to fight for this together. Byakuya, I can’t do this without you.”_

_I brush the tears away and bring his head down onto my shoulder. _

_“Just rest a bit and gather your strength. You’re going to need it, Byakuya. We can get through this. We can. I promise you, Byakuya, we can.”_

_He doesn’t say anything, but the arms that wrap around me hold on for dear life._


	8. Connections

_“Do you want to rest a bit before lunch, Byakuya?” Renji asks quietly._

_“All I have done all day is rest, Renji,” I reply, staring out into the garden, “I would much rather talk with you. I actually have something important to ask you.”_

_He walks over to join me by the open double doors that lead into the garden._

_“What is it?”_

_“Something occurred to me when I heard Michi talking to you about Kasumi. I started thinking, Renji, that although I feel like I’ve told you all there is to know about my past, the lessons I’ve learned, and knowledge I’ve gained, I really don’t know so much about your past. It seems strange that I have been your life partner for nearly two years and still much of your history is unknown to me. The Kuchiki family is one that values history very highly. For me to not know yours seems…wrong.”_

_“I…don’t think I intentionally kept anything from you, Byakuya,” he assures me, “but I think that the subject of my past just hasn’t come up.”_

_“It’s strange, Renji. You have done so much to help me deal with my losses. You know them chapter and verse. You could tell them back to me in full light and color, capturing every detail…but your past exists only in black and white where it exists at all for me. What I know of you is based on who you are…I have no idea at all who you have been in the past.”_

_“Does it matter so much? Byakuya, I think one of the things you and I have had to learn is to live now, not in the past or…not too focused on what might happen. Maybe that’s why there are some things we just haven’t talked about. But at times like now, when the past becomes an important part of what is happening right now, it’s a good time to share things we might not have before. Do you know what I mean?”_

_I nod and turn back to the bed. I slip in under the covers and lean back against the pillows. After a moment, Renji joins me. I lean against his warm shoulder, my eyes still turned toward the garden._

_“So would you like to tell me about Kasumi? You always listen when I need to talk. I want to return the favor.”_

_He smiles good-naturedly._

_“It would do me some good, I think. It was a huge shock when I found out about Takeo. In fact, the shock was so great…it was like I couldn’t react. Well partly because of the shock and partly because so much else is happening all at once. Byakuya, I still don’t know how to talk to him about this. I was…just getting to know Takeo as one of our squad members. All I know about him is that he’s tall and lanky like I was, he’s got talent, but not so much finesse…again, like me, and he stinks at sensing reiatsu. I am impressed with his Shikai. The signs are there, and now that I know, I wonder why it wasn’t obvious to me, you know?”_

_“He does favor you,” I say, “And when I watched him for the first time, I actually was reminded of you.”_

_“But Byakuya, he’s grown up without me. I don’t even know him. I know he didn’t have it easy. He was a street kid like me. Damn! I wish it could have been different for him, you know? Because I think if I had known, then maybe the kid wouldn’t have ended up in this mess. I know I didn’t have a choice about learning of his existence sooner, I just wish it didn’t have to be this way. I hate that he did this to us.”_

_“Renji,” I say bracingly, “You and I have yet to find out how much he knew about what he was doing. Perhaps there is more to this than we know. We will find out when we talk to him. He should be here soon. While we wait, tell me about Takeo’s mother.”_

_Renji smiles sadly at the memory. It is an expression that I know I have worn before, when remembering Hisana. To know that Renji felt love like that for this girl strikes a chord with me. I know that feeling._

_“It’s funny, Byakuya. When I was a street teen, the person who was most present in my life was Rukia. We were so dependent on each other. We did everything together. We lived in a shack down near the river with a bunch of other kids. Us older kids saw it as our responsibility to protect the younger ones. Why are you smiling?”_

_“It just…seems so much like you and Rukia to do that.”_

_“Yeah, well, someone had to or even fewer of us would have stayed alive. As it was, we had our losses…and each time, we hurt a lot because we tried so hard to protect each other. It was just so difficult. Anyway, Rukia and I would get up early every day…stop laughing, Bya, yes, I got up early! We had to so that we could go out and find food for all of us. We had an agreement that whatever we found, we split evenly. If someone was in greater need, we gave what was needed. Apart from what we did to provide for the others, Rukia and I pretty much did what we pleased. There was a woman in town who taught us how to read and helped us learn other things we would have learned if we’d gone to school. But mostly, Rukia and I liked to go down to the river. I’d sit up in a tree and watch her play with water flowers. And I’d daydream a lot.”_

_“What did you think about?” I ask, closing my eyes._

_“Mostly, I thought about how I was going to become a soul reaper. I was going to get out of that place. And I always pictured Rukia coming with me. She was always a constant in whatever I dreamed about the future.”_

_He gently laces the fingers of one hand into mine._

_“Sometimes, the end of the day would come and I’d be asleep in the tree. If the weather was good, sometimes Rukia would curl up next to me and sleep. Sometimes, she’d just give me a pat and leave me there. It was on one of those nights that Kasumi appeared under the tree. I heard the sound of her feet scraping the ground and I thought Rukia had come back. I dropped down to give her a scare, but I was shocked when I saw it wasn’t Rukia. This girl was very different.”_

_Now his eyes drift closed as he remembers._

_She was a little taller than Rukia, but fine boned and more pale. Her hair was a lighter brown, lighter than Takeo’s and had curls down at the ends. Her eyes were a really pretty blue. But I could see right away she hadn’t had it easy. I thought that she was a prostitute. I guess that’s what I was supposed to think. She was dressed like one, though looking back now that I know she wasn’t, I see that there were signs that I just missed. Anyway, she seemed to be in trouble. She’d been beaten up. I knew a little bit of kido, so I healed her the best I could and used my body to warm her up. It’s always so damned cold in Inuzuri…of course, you know that. She left before dawn the next morning, but I told her to come back if she needed anything. And she did. She’d come late at night and we sit in the tree and talk. We talked about anything except our lives as they were right then, because we were both struggling. We talked about being soul reapers and living where it was warm, having enough to eat and things like that. Over time, we grew close and things got passionate, serious. I wanted to take care of her. I hated the thought of what she was doing to survive. So, you know, I wasn’t upset at all when she got pregnant, Byakuya, I was actually happy about it. The funny thing is, that even though I knew her child could be my son or daughter, I never really thought of it that way. In my street kid mind, it was just another little brother or sister…because having grown up in the Rukon, that was what I knew of family…just this group of kids fighting to stay alive, depending on each other.”_

_“But that is a family still, Renji.”_

_“Yeah, just different from what most people think is normal.”_

_He falls silent for a moment and releases a soft sigh._

_It’s confusing to think that I really didn’t know her, that while we sat for hours talking as we did, she never revealed herself to me. Still, Byakuya, I know she must have felt something for me. Something kept bringing her back, you know. She must have found something in those hours with me that made a difference to her. There…had to be something…”_

_I open my eyes and lean over, placing a light kiss on his half-smiling lips._

_“I assure you, Renji, that there was something that drew her to you…and I think maybe it’s not so different from my reasons for loving you. It sounds like you were a source of comfort and strength for her…a shelter.”_

_He smiles at that._

_“Yeah. I just wish I’d known. I guess she couldn’t just tell me, though. She had to keep her identity secret to protect herself. But I feel lucky having had that time with her. I did love her, Byakuya. I was looking forward to the birth of her child. It was someone else who I wanted to love and protect. But it all came crashing down. One minute, we were sitting in the low branches of the tree, looking at the stars, and the next these guys appeared and beat the crap out of me…and they killed her. And at the time, I noticed that they took that pendant of hers. Byakuya, I just chalked it up to being another street death of the kind that was always happening in Inuzuri. I didn’t know it was because of the baby…because of me. To know it was…”_

_“leaves you tempted to blame yourself. But don’t Renji, you did all you could for her and for Takeo.”_

_“Bya…what do I do about this kid? What do I do with the fact that he poisoned you…that he used me to do that? How do I deal with that? I have instincts that are protective. When I was there at the division office taking to him, I just kept thinking…how can I even think of sending him back for the pendant? Because when I think of doing that, it feels the same as the thought of sending Takeshi or Chisaki. My heart just accepts him as if he has always been my son, you know?”_

_“And so he has. Renji, don’t feel bad about having protective feelings for your son. That is just the kind of person you are. You have wonderful protective instincts. I know how good it feels to be loved by you, protected by those instincts. I wouldn’t expect any less.”_

_“But what he did!”_

_“You don’t know what he did, really. You need to talk to him, Renji. Only by doing that can you get past these worries of yours. He’ll be here soon. When he comes, take him up to the waterfall. Talk to him, Renji. You might just find that you needn’t have worried. And remember, whatever he may have done, he is your child still. You should still love your child, even when he or she has done something wrong. There is no shame in that.”_

_He turns and there is a look of deep gratitude in his eyes._

_“Thank you, Byakuya. Thanks for listening. You were right…It did help to sort things out.”_

_“Good,” I tell him, nuzzling deeper into his arms, “You listen to me, often enough. I’m glad I could return the favor.”_

_He holds me until I fall asleep, but I wake again as he rises and walks over to the doors that open into the garden. I know he has a heavy heart. And even letting him release some of the weight won’t bring him the comfort he needs. He needs to face his son. But while he waits for Takeo to arrive, he walks quietly out into the garden to think. I know when to go to him and when to give him space. I watch him from our bedroom, but let him have the space he needs to think things through._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Sir, Takeo has arrived from the 6th Division,” the housekeeper tells me._

_My son is here._

_What the hell do I do with that?_

_“Arigato,” I tell her, “Please bring him here to the garden.”_

_“Yes sir.”_

_I hear his approaching footsteps and all of the things I thought about saying just seem to disappear. As I turn and look at my son, I can’t think of what to say. He just stands there, waiting for the vice captain’s orders, not knowing the turn our lives are about to take._

_“Takeo, thank you for being so quick to get here. Captain Kuchiki will be pleased to have your help. Now, if you’ll come with me, I have a few things to discuss with you.”_

_I take Byakuya’s advice and we walk out the gate and onto the forest path. I can see that the beauty of it is not lost on my son. Like me, he seems enchanted by the beauty of it. He probably hasn’t seen much that is so beautiful. He grew up a street kid, like me. He doesn’t say anything, but I can see the curiosity building in his eyes. Perhaps he senses that something is about to happen. We arrive at the waterfall and I hear him catch his breath in amazement._

_“It’s beautiful…” he says softly._

_“Yes…Takeo, sit down. We need to talk.”_

_He sits beneath one of the cherry trees, watching the petals drift down on the breeze around him._

_“Takeo…Byakuya and I…know who you are.”_

_His eyes widen, but like any Rukon kid, he doesn’t react immediately. He waits for me to say more. Smart kid._

_“Takeo…Byakuya and I were informed yesterday…that you are the son of a woman named Kasumi.”_

_“I…”_

_“Wait…let me finish.”_

_He falls silent._

_“I learned also that you are my son, Takeo.”_

_“Yes sir,” he says softly._

_He stares at the ground._

_“Look, we need to talk about what that means. Takeo, no one told me you were even born. I believed that your mother died before she could give birth to you. Were you aware of that?”_

_“Yes sir. I knew you were not told. My mother was worried it would endanger us if you were told. She thought she was protecting us both,” he explains, his eyes still lowered._

_“Takeo, you need to tell me, how long have you known she was your mother? When did you learn you were my son?”_

_Finally his brown eyes meet mine._

_“I learned as a child who my mother was, but I only learned about you when I was sent to the 6th Division on a mission.”_

_“A mission for Raiden’s group?” I ask._

_He lowers his eyes again._

_“Yes sir.”_

_I gather myself. I can’t bear the weight of the question I must ask._

_“Takeo, what was the mission that Raiden gave you?”_

_He’s shaking. He probably doesn’t know whose anger to fear more, Raiden’s or mine._

_“I was sent…to watch you. And to find some information that he thinks you have. He…gave me a special compound that I was to expose you to…”_

_How the hell can he say that so calmly?_

_“Vice Captain Abarai, sir, he told me that it would allow him to spy on you, to watch your movements…but he lied to me didn’t he? Sir…that’s why the captain is ill, isn’t it?”_

_His eyes are filling with tears._

_“The compound you exposed me to was a poison, Takeo,” I tell him quietly, “It attached itself to my zanpakuto and to me, then it poisoned Byakuya and Senbonzakura.”_

_He looks up at me with desperation in his eyes. He didn’t know. He really didn’t know…and this is killing him._

_“I swear I didn’t know it would do that! I swear I didn’t know it would hurt anyone. I mean, I know the spying would have been a serious offense, but Raiden was suspicious. He suspected I was up to something and he made me do this to prove my loyalty. I don’t think he knows you’re my father…but he knows there is more to me than I have told him. So to test me, he sent me on this mission. I was to use the compound on you and your zanpakuto, then search for information he told me had been stolen from him.”_

_“Did you know that the information he wants was stolen by your mother?”_

_“No…he wasn’t that specific. But if I fail in this mission, he will kill me. He was, as I told you, already suspicious. But I’ve poisoned the captain. It’s really bad, isn’t it? Is that why his zanpakuto attacked him?”_

_“Yeah,” I sigh._

_There’s no point in hiding it._

_His shoulders shake softly with silent sobs._

_“I didn’t want to hurt anyone, sir,” he says in a choked voice, “All I was trying to do was make him pay for killing my mom. Now I’ve done something even worse than what he did. Please believe me when I say I never wanted to hurt the captain. I never wanted to hurt you either.”_

_“Takeo, who told you I am your father?” I ask._

_“Michi. I told him that Raiden was sending me on this mission to make me prove my loyalty. It was then that he told me who you were. He wanted me to go into hiding, but we decided that it would be no use. Raiden would find me. We felt that the only thing we could do was to see this through and then when I went back, I was going to kill Raiden.”_

_He looks out over the top of the waterfall._

_“So what happens now? Are you going to arrest me? I won’t resist. I hate what I did. I deserve it.”_

_“Takeo,” I say, placing a hand on his arm, “I don’t know what will happen in the end, what punishment you may face for your actions, but…the fact is, I am your father. I wasn’t given the chance to be there for you before. I want to do that now. I don’t know how much you know about Kasumi and I, but I will tell you that I loved her. I didn’t know who killed her or why…and I was never told about you. If I had been told, I wouldn’t have left you. I would have wanted to be with you. So, I’ll be with you now. You and I will find a way to make Raiden pay for what he did to Kasumi…and we will make him pay for what he’s done to Byakuya.”_

_“So…you’re not going to arrest me?” he says, hope a mixture of guilt and hope in his eyes._

_“No,” I tell him softly, “We need your help, Takeo. Byakuya and I need your help to bring this guy down.”_

_He looks up at me with a confused expression._

_“But what can I do? I already told you that Raiden is suspicious. If I am not successful in finding the information he wants, then he will kill me. He told me you were an agent. He said you were helping to steal the information.”_

_“I’m not now, nor have I ever been an agent. I was in love with your mother. That’s all. She didn’t give me the information you are looking for. Michi told me she kept it on a chip inside a blue pendant she always wore.”_

_He gives a small gasp._

_“Raiden has it, doesn’t he?”_

_Takeo nods. _

_“I told Michi that Raiden suspected you were an agent working with my mom, but I wasn’t specific with him about the information I was being sent to find. That’s why Michi didn’t make the connection about the pendant before. He must have figured it out after I left.”_

_“But raiden doesn’t know what he has, Takeo. So we need you to get the pendant from him. I have an idea. We already know some of the information that was stored on that chip. I can give you a small amount of that to placate Raiden. It will buy us time. You can tell him that you have been given a position close to me. That will make you more valuable to him. He’ll probably want you to watch me and report back to him.”_

_“Can you tell me something?” he asks, “Why does Raiden want to watch you? Why did he attack the captain and not you?”_

_“Raiden may not have figured out who you are…” I tell him, “but apparently, he thinks I was working with your mother to trap him. He also was in love with her and he knew she was having a baby with someone else. It’s a good bet that he guessed it was me. He attacked Byakuya because he knows it will hurt me. Takeo, you do know that the captain and I are life partners.”_

_“Yes sir.”_

_“Raiden wanted to kill Byakuya to hurt me. He used the method he did, because he wanted me to be the one who poisoned Byakuya. He wanted me to carry that guilt.”_

_“It’s even worse, though,” Takeo says softly, “because he got me to betray my own father, too. Even if the compound had been what he said, I still would have been betraying you.”_

_“Yeah, I know…and we’ll deal with that. But right now, you and I have to focus on two things. We have to keep Byakuya alive until a cure can be found, and we have to get that pendant from Raiden, so we can make him pay for what he did to Kasumi. Will you help me, Takeo?”_

_“Yes sir.”_

_“Takeo, when this is over…when we’ve made Raiden pay, then I want to get to know you better. I want to know my son. I want you to know your father. We’ll do that.”_

_He nods._

_But there’s a lot that has to happen before we reach that point._


	9. The Gift

_“I’ve brought your tea, Captain Kuchiki,” Takeo says softly, placing the tea at my bedside._

_I sit up a little higher against the pillows and pick up the mug, sipping and watching Renji’s son. He looks back at me and I can see the guilt. I can see he’s trying to find the right words. He knows the seriousness of what he’s done._

_“Takeo, please, sit down.”_

_He takes a seat beside my bed and gazes up at me. I can see that he’s scared to death, but like his father, this boy forces it down and faces the uncertainty with great strength._

_“I know you and Renji had a lot to talk about. I hope that you found some peace in what he told you.”_

_It’s as though he hasn’t heard me._

_“Sir…I am sorry. I would never want to hurt you. I’ve always looked up to you. I feel horrible about this,” he says._

_“Renji says that Raiden lied to you about what the compound would do…”_

_“Yes, but I still betrayed my division, my captain, and my father…even if not for the poison. I accept that there is a price I will pay for that.”_

_I nod. There is no point in pretending he won’t face some manner of consequence at some point._

_“Takeo, I won’t lie to you and say that all is forgiven. But I will say that no one is perfect. I have done my share of damage and I, too have paid the cost. Renji and I will try to be a support to you whatever happens.”_

_He looks down at his feet._

_“Do you hate me for this? Do you want to kill me? I wouldn’t stop you, sir.”_

_I sigh._

_“You didn’t consciously choose to harm me. And I think…that enough damage has been done, Takeo. Help Renji, help me…and we’ll figure out the rest as we go.”_

_He nods._

_“You may go, Takeo. Renji is making preparations for your mission. Go and check in with him.”_

_He bows and leaves._

_I rest for a time, but my body refuses to relax. Finally, I leave my bed and walk out into the garden. The peacefulness refuses to reach me. I continue out the gate and up the forest path. Halfway to the waterfall, I sense an unfamiliar reiatsu and I hear voices. I move silently closer, lowering my reiatsu so I won’t be sensed. There are two unfamiliar male voices and they are, I realize, speaking about Takeo._

_“Raiden said to wait here until dark and then we’ll go get the kid,” says one._

_“Do you think he’ll really get it?”_

_“If he doesn’t, we kill him and dump him. End of story. You know there’s something Raiden doesn’t like about that kid anyway. It’d be just as well if we killed him, whatever. Maybe we should just kill him even if he brings it.”_

_“Nah…not worth the effort. He’s just a useless kid. But he got in here, so Raiden will want to use him for all he’s worth.”_

_“You think Kuchiki will really die?”_

_“Yeah, poor bastard. That shit they used on him is nasty. There isn’t a cure. He’s dead. I just wonder why Raiden wanted to kill him.”_

_“Sounds personal.”_

_“Yeah, it does.”_

_I gather my spirit energy and move into position to attack._

_“What’s that?” one says, sensing the sudden increase in spirit energy._

_“Hado #33 Soukatsui!”_

_A sudden heavy shock passes through my body and I realize that the spell has failed. Reeling, I move back and lower my reiatsu…but it is too late. They are already moving towards me. I realize the impossibility of attempting to face them with no weapon and no power. As I try to engage my flash step, it fails as well. Hands take hold of me and drag me to the ground._

_“Well, look who’s walking alone. Should we just kill you now or have fun first?”_

_I may be powerless, but I am not without strength or fighting skill. I twist free and roll to my feet, then turn to engage one of my attackers, striking him soundly in the face and sending him to the ground. The second grabs me from behind and I bring my heel down onto his foot and drive an elbow sharply into his ribs. I start to turn for the manor, but the first attacker is on his feet again and hits fires a binding spell at me. Unable to counteract it, I roll to dodge it instead and end up in the grasp of a third man I hadn’t even sensed. His grip is viselike…and the reaction of the other two men is instant. They freeze, staring. It suddenly occurs to me who this man has to be. He holds me tightly against him, laughing softly._

_“I wondered what you two were up to. Playing around on the job? You idiots weren’t supposed to allow yourselves to be discovered. You’re as useless as that boy. You on the other hand,” he says in my ear, “could prove to have some value. Sorry I can’t let you go back, but we can’t have them finding out we’re here. Judging by the fact that you haven’t killed me or broken free, I’m assuming that the poison is doing its job. So the decision becomes…do I just finish you now…or is there a way to use this to my advantage?”_

_I sense Takeo passing through the gate._

_“Captain Kuchiki, I’m a person who likes to make sure people get what they deserve. Your vice captain took something of value from me and I expect something of equal value in return.”_

_I feel him growing closer. I think for a moment, then slowly lower my reiatsu. It is not lost on the one who holds me._

_“Interesting…You could attract his attention, but you choose this instead. Why are you protecting him? Didn’t you just hear them talking about him? If you know he’s working for me, then why protect him? He’s getting close now. Should I kill him? He’s the one who poisoned you. Shouldn’t you desire his death?”_

_I feel his spirit energy rising and Takeo stops nearby on the trail, his senses extended._

_“Takeo…RUN!” I cry, struggling to break free._

_The arms around me tighten and I struggle for breath. I hear Takeo edging closer._

_“No!” I gasp, “Takeo, find Renji!”_

_That makes him pause, and in that moment, I make a final effort and pull free of the man holding me. _

_“Hado #33 Soukatsui!”_

_The blue fire flies from Takeo’s extended hands and just misses the man trying to corner me again. The other two are moving towards Takeo now._

_“Takeo! Run! That is an order!”_

_I feel Renji’s reiatsu approaching quickly. Strong hands take hold of me again._

_“You’re troublesome, aren’t you? Stop fighting me, or I’ll kill the boy now. I don’t know yet who he is to you, but I know not to trust him…and if he comes back, I’ll kill him. Come, we’ll let them distract your vice captain while we move on.”_

_I feel the shock of kido pass through me and start to drop to the ground. I am caught up and carried deeper into the brush. I can see Takeo fighting the other two men, but I cannot move._

_“Let’s go, Captain. I think they can take care of this without us, don’t you?”_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

#  _“Takeo! What the…”_

_Zabimaru comes up just in time to keep some guy from taking my head off with his zanpakuto._

_“Roar Zabimaru!”_

_The blade crashes into his zanpakuto, sending him flying backwards and out of sight. I run towards Takeo, drawing Zabimaru back for another strike, but Takeo sends the shadow wolf after the second. He howls as the teeth slash at him. Zabimaru sends him tumbling away. _

_“They have the Captain!” shouts Takeo._

_He follows after the retreating forms, his shadow wolf running ahead of him, howling and slashing with its bared teeth. The men flash step and leave Takeo behind. I flash step after, sending Zabimaru ahead again. Their reiatsu fades into the distance._

_“The captain!” Takeo gasps, finally catching up with me, “They took Captain Kuchiki!”_

_“Okay, Kid, we’ll get them,” I assure him, “We know where they’re going. The only problem is that I think they know you’re on our side now. If we don’t work fast, they’ll clear that hideout and move everything and everyone somewhere else.”_

_I summon a hell butterfly and send it winging off for the stealth force. _

_“Come on!” I yell to Takeo, “Let’s get Rikichi and go after them._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Are you comfortable, Captain Kuchiki?” Raiden asks, studying me from the doorway, “I am sorry about the restraints, but you seem to be a bit too persistent in your efforts to escape.”_

_I won’t give him anything, not even anger. I simply stare back at him._

_“So quiet…so calm. Don’t you wonder?” he asks, “Don’t you wonder why you are dying? Why I set you up to die?”_

_I maintain my silence. I try not to react when he takes a blue pendant from his breast pocket and strokes it gently in his hand as he continues to talk to me._

_“It isn’t even about you, really. It’s about a girl I knew. Did your lover tell you about her? Did he tell you that you are going to die because he stole her from me?”_

_He sits down in a chair facing me. I look into his eyes calmly, highly aware of the fact that he continues to stroke the pendant in his hand._

_“I don’t know, sometimes, Captain…I know she was an agent, but there was something so compelling about her. It’s easy to see why they used Kasumi to infiltrate my group. She had me going for quite some time. Yes, she flirted and teased and proved herself to be very reliable and useful…so much so that I opened my heart to her. Captain, I told her things I had never entrusted to anyone. I loved her. I loved her enough to want to marry her, but she kept putting me off. Finally, I became suspicious. I followed her to see where she went when she wasn’t with me. I saw them making love…and I figured she was playing some kind of game. I scrutinized everything after that and I soon learned that she was pregnant. I confronted her and, even then, gave her a chance to marry me. I was even willing to overlook what she had done, and the fact that her child wasn’t mine. That is how much I felt for her. All I asked was that she stay with me and leave her work and her lover behind. I was devastated…just devastated when she refused me. She ran. She didn’t know that I already knew who her lover was, and where she would go. I went there and I thought I killed them both. It wasn’t until just recently that I learned that he was still alive. I saw him, you see. I saw him with you…here, in Inuzuri, just a few weeks ago. You may remember. You were visiting old Michi, the doctor. But I remembered Renji Abarai…well, I remembered his face, anyway.”_

_He sighs and rubs his hands over his face._

_“I want him to die, Captain, and he will…but he will lose you first. I apologize for reducing you to collateral damage, but you hold a special place in his life…you are to him what I wish Kasumi could have been to me…”_

_“She was right to run. You are twisted…nearly as twisted as your evil master, Sosuke Aizen,” I say in a low, sarcastic voice._

_He only laughs, refusing to be baited._

_“My master…my master would love to get his hands on you again, Captain. I know what he did to you when he held you in his fortress in Hueco Mundo. Perhaps if you weren’t going to die so soon, it might be fun to torment you by sending you back to him. But torture and head games aren’t my way. I deal damage, Captain. I’ll damage Renji by killing you and then I’ll send him to join you. So you see, you won’t be without him for long. I hadn’t anticipated capturing you. This is a bit surprising, but since I have, I’ll make the most of it.”_

_He leans toward me. He reaches for my throat and removes the gold sakura pendant Renji gave me for our first anniversary._

_“I’ll need this to send as a message to Renji, but let me give you a gift in return.”_

_I hold my breath. He leans toward me again and fastens the blue pendant at my throat._

_“This belonged to her,” he tells me in a soft voice, “You see, I want you to be wearing this when he finds your body.”_

_He rises and returns to the doorway._

_“We have some things to do before you die, Captain. I’ll let him know I have you. I’ll let him search for you. I’ll even tease him with a cure for the poison…but when he finds you…I will have something back in equal measure to what he took from me.”_

_He smiles._

_“Rest, Captain. And be comforted. I have no wish to cause you any further torment. While you live, I will see to your comfort and my personal physician will attend you. You are, after all, a person of importance. A guard is outside the door if there should be anything you need.”_

_He steps out of the room and the door closes softly behind him. There is no click. Apparently, he is confident I am too weak and too tightly bound to break free. He has made a mistake he will pay for…as soon I can slip the bonds that hold me._

_xxxxxxxxxx_

_“What the hell?” I exclaim, looking around the inside of the warehouse._

_It’s obvious they only left recently. He must have sent word as soon as he grabbed Byakuya._

_“Should we try looking for a reiatsu trail?” Takeo asks._

_“Good thinking, kid,” I tell him, “There’s just one problem…You and I suck at that.”_

_“Well,” says Rikichi, smiling and drawing his zanpakuto, “You two might…but I don’t. I’m not as good as Captain Kuchiki, but I’ll give it a shot.”_

_“Wait…hold on!” I say, “We’ll do that, but we’ll need one more thing to help us.”_

_They stare at me questioningly._

_“Senbonzakura. It’s back at the manor.”_

_“Uh…Renji,” Rikichi says, looking worried, “Senbonzakura is sealed, remember? You do remember what it did to Captain Kuchiki?”_

_“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten,” I assure him, “but I think if we unseal the sword and use Zabimaru to keep control of it…maybe the spirit inside will talk to Zabimaru. It can tell us when we’re getting close to where he is. Remember, time is a factor. We don’t have time for mistakes. Come on, let’s go back and get that zanpakuto!”_

_Rikichi and Takeo exchange exasperated glances before we all climb on board Rikichi’s eagle and head back toward home._


	10. Deadly Petals

_“Are you sure about this, Renji?” Rikichi asks, cautiously eyeing the sealed zanpakuto in my hand._

_“Not completely,” I answer, “but I don’t know that reiatsu tracking will be sufficient to find him, “We’ll try tracking with reiatsu and only unseal the sword if it becomes a necessity. Zabimaru suggests we use him and Hiwashi to control Senbonzakura. Takeo, you will be responsible for shielding us from anything else that comes at us.”_

_Takeo nods._

_“Kassou Hiwashi Ko!”_

_Rikichi’s eagle forms and carries us into the air. We sweep around in a circle and head for the edge of the Sereitei. Rikichi furrows his brow and focuses his energy in a wide sweeping pattern. The eagle beneath us shrieks and turns according to the mental shifts of his mind. As we fly toward the Rukon District, I summon Zabimaru, watching as the spirit appears in front of me._

_“Zabimaru,” I say in greeting._

_“Renji,” he replies, nodding._

_“I need you to see if you can sense anything about the condition of Senbonzakura. I can’t read anything because of the seal.”_

_Red light extends from Zabumaru and wraps around the sealed zanpakuto. There is a long silence as he focuses his spirit energy._

_“Renji, it is difficult to reach through the seal, but I do sense life within Senbonzakura, though time grows short. We have, perhaps a day…at most two before the zanpakuto will die. We must hurry.”_

_“Zabimaru,” I say softly, “Can you offer any comfort to the spirit? Is there…anything you can do to…ease its pain?”_

_The baboon king eyes me thoughtfully._

_“You are kind, Renji, to seek this,” he says, blinking._

_“Senbonzakura is a part of Byakuya’s soul. I can’t stand the thought of either of them being in pain.”_

_“There is not a lot that I can do,” Zabimaru admits, “but I will offer what hope and comfort I can.”_

_The red light around Byakuya’s zanapkuto pulses softly. There is a deep sadness in Zabimaru’s voice when he speaks to me again._

_“I have conveyed the message. Senbonzakura is grateful for the gesture, Renji.”_

_I nod, but I can’t say anything back. I feel Takeo’s eyes on me and I look up at him._

_“I can tell how much you love our captain,” he says quietly, “When I talked to him earlier, I also felt how much he loves you in return. I know I’m still a stranger to you, Vice Captain, but I would like to be more than that. If you…want to talk about it, I will listen.”_

_“I don’t know what there is to say,” I reply, meeting his eyes, “but I am grateful. I’m worried for him. There isn’t a lot of time left to find the answers we need to save him. There isn’t much else to say. It’s killing me.”_

_“Then perhaps you need to think about something more pleasant. Perhaps you could tell me about how you met Captain Kuchiki. I know very little about that. All I really know is that you and the captain have been life partners for about two years. I’ve heard some wild stories about spirit wolves and such, but all I have heard is secondhand.”_

_I am really starting to like this kid. I see the influence of the Rukon in him…and traces of Kasumi…traces of myself. As the eagle soars across the sky, I go back in my mind to that very first day I laid eyes on Byakuya, the seemingly cold and heartless bastard who was nothing like that on the inside._

_“Takeo, did you know that when I first met Byakuya, I absolutely hated him…”_

_The words start out slow, but as they leave me, there is a sort of peace that touches me. Takeo stares rapt as I chart the course of the slow shattering of lies and masks that brought Byakuya and I together. With every word, new life flows into the memories and it comes back to me…our battle against each other, the slow healing, the days in Inuzuri, how he faced down the council of elders to protect our right to love each other, his desperate effort to rescue me from the ookami seirei, how we rescued Yoruichi…and what is was like when our children were born. _

_There are tears in my eyes, but they aren’t tears of grief. The memories are far from painful. They only serve to remind me of what we are fighting to protect, to sharpen my resolve. In his absence, the stories reawaken in me the memory of the warmth of his presence, the feel of calm and focused power and strength that surrounds him and the unbreakable trust and love that sees us through everything._

_There are tears in Takeo’s eyes too as he listens while I recount the stories. I reach a point where the emotions rise up and I don’t know what else to tell him. I stop talking and sit staring down at the softly moving feathers of the eagle’s back. I feel approaching warmth and the brush of his arm as it wraps around my shoulders. I am deeply touched. And it awakens a growing need inside me to learn more about this young man…my son._

_“Renji,” Rikichi’s voice breaks into my thoughts, “I can feel that we’re getting close, but I am having trouble centering in. There are lots of confusing reiatsu echoes in this area. I think it has been deliberately done to prevent this kind of tracking. What do we do?”_

_“We’re going to have to try using Senbonzakura.”_

_Rikichi nods, but his eyes convey concern. This will be dangerous. I summon Zabimaru and watch as he materializes again. Slowly, I remove Senbonzakura from its sheath. I feel the traces of Byakuya’s reiatsu on the hilt and my breath catches. I set it down in front of me and extend my hands over it._

_“Get ready,” I warn Rikichi and Takeo._

_I reach down into the sword and focus on the seal holding back the blade’s power. I feel the tension in myself, Rikichi, Takeo, and in the zanpakuto we wield. We all brace ourselves…but nothing could prepare us for the hell that breaks loose when the seal dissolves and the tormented soul in Byakuya’s sword is freed. The shriek rips at our minds and Rikichi’s control over the eagle falters, sending us spiraling downward. Zabimaru reacts instantly, wrapping his power around Senbonzakura, building a protective barrier between us and attempting to calm the seething spirit. Spiritual pressure presses heavily against us and Senbonzakura’s blade glows pink, small petal blades beginning to break free. Zabimaru’s hold on Senbonzakura increases, but quite a few pink petal blades dance on the air around us and the eagle beneath us wavers against the ailing zanpakuto’s power._

_“It is north and slightly west of here,” Zabimaru tells me, “His spirit energy is very low. It seems purposeful. Renji…Senbonzakura thinks that Byakuya is trying to escape. He is trying to connect with Byakuya.”_

_“No!” I warn Zabimaru, “Don’t let them connect!”_

_But it is too late. The spirit energy rages around us. The eagle plunges and spins out of control. Rikichi manages to make it bank sharply and turn into a spectacular crash landing that sends us all tumbling clear. Zabimaru disappears as his control over Senbonzakura dissolves. The petal blades rise and dance all around us, their motion erratic. They flash and burst outward. Rikichi is still stunned from the impact and Zabimaru does not respond. The petals close in around us and the spirit of Byakuya’s zanpakuto rages. As the petals reach us we hear a solemn sound rise up. The petals slow in their path as Takeo releases his weapon. The shadow wolf sits calmly before us, facing the incoming rush of blades. A powerful howl causes the blades to pulsate and Rikichi and I watch in stunned surprise as Takeo’s zanpakuto shatters Senbonzakura’s release. _

_Obviously, there is a lot more to this kid than meets the eye…_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Employing a technique I learned from Renji, I work my way free of the bonds that restrain me. I doubt Raiden thinks me the type to possess such questionable skills. I make a mental note to thank Renji for the lesson. I never really expected to use it, but the situation demands it. I stand just inside the room and call for the guard, then drop him in his tracks as he steps inside. I relieve him of his weapon and peer out into the hallway. I follow in reverse the steps my captors and I took upon our arrival, ducking out of sight once or twice to avoid being seen. I am nearly to the edge of the hideout, when I hear the sounds of raised voices and running feet in the distance behind me. I slip into a darkened room and head for the window. _

_As I move through the darkness, I catch sight of several files on the table that are spread out as though having been perused somewhat recently. I freeze as I recognize the portent of what I see. I am suddenly faced with the fact that the attack on me may have been personal, but it was also the test run for a much more devastating assault on the 13 Court Guard Squads. Looking more closely, I find plans to employ that same compound to wipe out every vice captain, captain and the head captain as well. My experience tells me that their plan is frighteningly viable and the papers before me tell me that preparations are nearly complete. They only await confirmation of my death from the poison. If it turns out to be true that the poison I was given has no cure…this could actually work. It would throw the Sereitei into chaos and Sosuke Aizen would be cleared to take control. I take a moment to take note of their carefully placed operatives, then step across the room to the window. I slide the window open and drop down into some bushes, reaching back to close the window behind me. I hear noise coming from the room I just left and the window just above me fills the area with light. Carefully, I shift so that I rest more in the shadows._

_My eyes adjust to the darkness as I search the area for guards. I see several in the open area ahead of me and I sense that there are at least two on top of the building I just exited. To break free of the hideout, I have to move down along the building I am resting beside, then find a place to move across the open ground to the metal fence. There are a few trees near the fence that if scaled should allow me to drop down outside the fence and make good my escape. I slip quietly through the bushes, keeping to the shadows as I near the open space I will have to cross. There is more commotion now as guards search the grounds for me. Most of the focus appears to be on the inside of the building, but there are more guards appearing outside now as well._

_I study the area I am in carefully. It is another Inuzuri warehouse, but in a different area than the one Renji and I discovered. It makes sense. Raiden knows that Takeo is his enemy now. He must have abandoned the other outpost knowing that Takeo could lead the stealth force right to it._

_I reach the edge of the building and read the reiatsu pulses all around me. It is a tricky thing choosing the proper moment to step out into the open. It requires that I first read the motions of the nearest guards, then search for a moment in the pattern of their combined movement when I am least likely to be seen and make my move. I am uncertain as to whether my flash step will work. It failed earlier, but I have rested and eaten. I think I might be able to manage it. But using a flash step may catch the attention of any higher- level soul reapers in the vicinity. It is a calculated risk. If I use the flash step, I need to escape the area quickly after that._

_The reiatsu shifts and sways in a hypnotic dance. I play it through in my mind as I wait for my opportunity to move. There is still more activity inside the building than out here. This should work. I just need a moment to get to the tree. I locate a place in the reiatsu dance that should work. I gather myself as the moment approaches. _

_Just as I am preparing to move, I hear a familiar voice and reiatsu rise up inside my mind. I freeze with wide-open eyes as Senbonzakura’s maddened scream penetrates my thoughts, scattering them and breaking my concentration. My body shakes as the spirit within my zanpakuto cries out to me. The spirit is in pain, dying, and desperate for relief. This contact with my zanpakuto is crushing. It ravages my mind and sends me to my knees, struggling to shut out the unbearable assault. As I drop to the ground beneath the bushes, I reach out to the dying spirit, seeking to offer whatever comfort I can. The spirit senses the reconnection and reaches back. The contact is sudden and unforgiving. It breaks against my mind relentlessly and the impact forces a gasping cry from me. Guards begin to turn in slow motion all around me. It is now or never. On the verge of being discovered anyway, I roll to my feet, engage my flash step and barely have the ability to register that it works. I am in the tree and dropping down outside the fence as the guards lay eyes on me. Kido flies around me and I flash step again. This time is depletes my strength noticeably. Senbonzakura rises up in my mind again, shrieking wildly and distracting me. As I reel from the impact, a kido spell connects and sends me crashing to the ground. A second kido strike seals my fate._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Are you guys okay?” I ask quickly._

_Rikichi is a bit shaken up, but seems fine. Takeo seems relatively unruffled. Our three zanpakuto have locked their power around Senbonzakura and replaced the broken seal. The furious assault of the dying zanpakuto dies away._

_“Damn! Sorry about that!” I tell Takeo and Rikichi._

_They’re nice enough not to say ‘I told you so.’ Rikichi slides Hiwashi back into its sheath and brushes the dust from his shihakushou. Takeo does the same. Zabimaru hisses angrily._

_“Idiot!” he growls, returning to his sealed form. _

_We look around questioningly._

_“I think we are close,” Rikichi says, “This way.”_

_We turn and follow him into a maze of streets that house an industrial area. There are tons of beat up warehouses and a couple of factories. As we move north, we hear a commotion ahead of us. My breath catches sharply as I spot the source of the sound._

_“Get down!” I hiss, dropping to the ground and watching._

_I see several men lifting someone up off the ground. The flash of a white captain’s haori stops my breathing. Takeo starts to break into a run, but Rikichi grabs him and forces him back down._

_“Wait,” I warn him, “I want to rescue him as much as you do, but we need to assess the situation before we go charging in.”_

_We watch as Byakuya is carried back into the building._

_“At least we know where he is,” breathes Rikichi._

_As we start to move forward, a hell butterfly appears. Mayuri Kurotsuchi’s voice sounds in the air around us._

_“Renji Abarai, the stealth force has delivered to me a recipe for a possible cure to the poison that was found in the remains of the abandoned warehouse. It was delivered to me and I am developing samples to test in my laboratory. When the samples are complete, I will contact you and give you instructions on where and when to meet to give Captain Kuchiki the counteragent. I have sent the recipe to Kisuke Urahara for his study as well. With any luck, we will be in possession of a cure very soon.”_

_The hell butterfly fades._

_“I just hope they finish that counteragent in time,” I mutter._

_We turn our attention back to the base. Night will be here soon. We conceal ourselves as close to the warehouse as we can safely get and wait for it to arrive. I rest my hand on the hilt of Byakuya’s embattled zanpakuto. I can feel the troubled cries of its spirit held down beneath the seal._


	11. Words Exchanged at Dawn

_“Byakuya? You look as though you are in pain. Yori, I thought you said this poison wouldn’t cause painful symptoms. Yet, the captain looks extremely uncomfortable.”_

_I try to pull away from the physician’s hands. They make my flesh crawl._

_“Captain, you’re only going to cause yourself more discomfort by working against me. Do hold still. The poison isn’t so much the problem. It has simply broken down his ability to use and resist spirit energy. Even though the kido spells used against him were not meant to do damage, they affected him more greatly because his resistance to them is so low. This is affecting his weakened nervous system and causing pain. Because he is nearing death, everything is breaking down.”_

_“Yori, we are not uncivilized monsters. The captain will die as the poison dictates, but you are to see that he is not in any pain.”_

_“Do you wish for me to euthanize him?” Yori asks quietly._

_“No,” Raiden replies thoughtfully, “I have something else in mind for him. Tell me, you say that he is nearing death…how long would you say it will be?”_

_There is a long pause._

_“Twelve to twenty-four hours. Truthfully, I would be surprised if he lived until dawn.”_

_“I see,” Raiden says, looking into my pain-glazed eyes, “Yori, I want you to see that you relieve his pain…even if you must induce unconsciousness to do so.”_

_Raiden reaches down and runs his fingers lightly over the pendant at my throat, his eyes still on mine._

_“Byakuya, you are not my enemy. You are simply the means to an end, but you have served your purpose well and I no longer need to confine you here.”_

_“What…do you mean?” I ask._

_“You have shown me that the poison is effective and you have helped me to take revenge on Renji Abarai. I am satisfied with that. You are close to a death you cannot avoid. I don’t think it is necessary for you to die here. You would like to see Renji again before you die, correct?”_

_“Raiden,” I say softly, “I may be dying, but I haven’t lost the ability to reason. I believe what you mean to say is that you are satisfied now that I cannot escape death and you don’t need me here to confirm it, so you are going to end your games with Renji. You are thinking that you can, in some way, inflict more damage by returning me to him.”_

_Raiden smiles sympathetically._

_“Guilty as charged, I’m afraid. But don’t worry about it. At very least it will allow you to die in your lover’s arms.”_

_“I would rather end my own life now, Raiden, so you had better be certain that the restraints you are using are sufficient to hold me this time. If I am given the opportunity, I will end this…and I will not leave this place alone.”_

_He touches my face appreciatively._

_“Admirable, Captain. You are every bit the man your reputation claims you to be. Sleep then. When you wake again, I think you will find yourself in a more familiar place. Yori, please give Byakuya something to help him sleep.”_

_I feel the stinging sensation of a needle prick on my arm and Raiden’s face slowly fades into the fog that surrounds me. _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_“Rikichi, have you sensed where in the building they are keeping him?” I ask softly._

_Rikichi nods._

_He is near the back. There are several places near his location that are protected enough to serve as entry points, but we have to be careful. This place is well guarded. This won’t be easy.”_

_“Right…well, it never is, is it. Come on, then. It’s already well past midnight. Rikichi, let us know when to move.”_

_“Shouldn’t we call for the stealth force?” Takeo asks._

_“No time,” I tell him, “We have to get him out of there. I don’t know how I know, but I just feel like we are out of time. He was already weakening when they took him. Who knows what condition he’s in now. My heart tells me not to wait, Takeo. I feel as if I don’t follow my heart right now, I’m going to lose him…and I can’t let that happen. We’ll call them when we have Byakuya back.”_

_Takeo nods and moves to Rikichi’s side._

_Rikichi studies the reiatsu patterns of the guards. He furrows his brow, focusing. I don’t know how he and Byakuya do this stuff. It is completely lost on me. Rikichi is good at this…and Byakuya is amazing. I’m not even passable at it…and it looks like I’ve managed to pass that charming deficiency on to my son. Takeo sees me looking at him and steps away from Rikichi to join me._

_“I hate what Raiden is doing to you,” he says softly, “I hate what he did to my mother. I want him to pay for that.”_

_“I do too, Takeo,” I tell my son, “I hope you know that I did love Kasumi. I had already decided to marry her…and I looked forward to your birth. I was devastated when she died, but I didn’t have the rage about it that I do now, because I didn’t know what had really been done. Takeo, if I’d known she was an agent…and that she was in danger of being killed, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t have done to protect her.”_

_“I know,” Takeo says, “and I hope you don’t think I ever blamed you for what happened. Michi made sure I knew that my parents loved me and that it was only for my own safety that you weren’t being told I had survived. I guess it was wrong to wait so long to find you, but I was very focused on trying to find a way to avenge her. And once I realized how powerful Raiden is, I knew I couldn’t face him alone. Even if Raiden hadn’t sent me…I would have come looking for you. I just feel awful that he used me to do this to Captain Kuchiki. I know you love him…and now Raiden is trying to take him from you the way he took my mother. We have to stop him. I know I’m not strong enough to do it alone, but I think if you help me, we can do this. We can make that man pay for everything he has done!”_

_“Yes,” I agree, “he will pay. But right now we have to focus on Byakuya. Revenge will have its time and place, but Byakuya has to come first. We have to put all of our effort into saving him. I hope you understand, Takeo.”_

_“Of course I do,” he assures me, placing a hand on my arm, “He took my mother from us, but he will not take our captain. We’ll stop him.”_

_I rest my hand on top of his._

_“Yes,” I agree, “we will.”_

_“It’s time,” Rikichi says, moving to the edge of the bushes._

_We move to join him. He watches carefully, then motions for us to move. We slip out from behind the bushes and run silently to the building, ducking into the brush again. We move along the side of the building until we reach the window Rikichi indicates is the best place to enter and he extends his senses to make sure there is no one inside. Calling on my Rukon background, I work the window open and we ease ourselves inside. I slide the window shut so it won’t draw the attention of the guards outside._

_“Which way now?” I whisper._

_Rikichi extends his senses again and motions for us to follow. He moves to the door and cracks it open, peering cautiously through into the hallway._

_“There is a guard,” he warns softly, “right outside the door where I sensed the captain earlier. But Renji, something is odd. I’m not sensing the captain now. His reiatsu was very low to begin with. He might have lowered it if he is planning another escape attempt, if he is sleeping or…”_

_“Yeah, I know. All right. I have a fast enough flash step to reach the guard, but this all hinges on me taking him down silently. If I blow it and attract more guards, we have to grab him and get out. We don’t want to take on the whole base.”_

_Rikichi and Takeo nod._

_“Move now, Renji,” Rikichi urges me, “The other nearby guards are less likely to sense you. Go!”_

_I open the door silently and focus on the lone guard outside Byakuya’s door. I take a quick breath to steady my nerves, then engage the flash step. I am down the hall in a heartbeat and I bring the butt of my zanpakuto down on his head, dropping him in his tracks with no more than a muted whimper. Rikichi and Takeo run down the hallway to join me. I turn the handle on the door to Byakuya’s room and we step inside. The lights are off and the room is dark and silent. Rikichi drags the guard inside and we cross the room to the bed. We stare in shock as we realize that the bed is empty. All that is left there is a slip of paper. I take it and move to the window where the moonlight is strong enough to read by._

_Renji Abarai-_

_I give you full marks for getting this far, but it has all been for nothing. I have taken my revenge. You have lost Byakuya. But take heart, I will not leave you in doubt as to his location. You will find him where I left her. You’d best move quickly if you wish to say good-bye._

_“Damn!”_

_As I move back toward the others, I notice something else on the bed. I lean over and pick up the gold sakura pendant I gave Byakuya for our first anniversary. I place it around my neck next to the silver fang he gave me._

_“Renji, come on,” Rikichi urges me, “maybe there is still time.”_

_But as we turn to leave, the door bursts open and armed men burst into the room. We break through the window and run for the fence, but enemies are everywhere and closing in quickly._

_“Ban Kai, Hiwashi, Tenrei Hishou!” shouts Rikichi._

_“Ban Kai, Hihio Zabimaru!”_

_“Houkou, Kageookami!”_

_The fire eagle rises and turns, sweeping around us and sending white fire flashing all around. The skeletal snake rises, curling around us._

_“Hikotsu Taiho!”_

_Red fire blasts from the snake’s mouth and he soars forward, slamming into the attacking men._

_The shadow wolf moves in flash steps, taking down enemies with slashing teeth and ear shattering howls._

_The skeletal snake returns in time to stop a barrage of kido and zanpakuto attacks._

_“Damn!” I shout, “We don’t have time to take on the whole base!”_

_Rikichi glances at me before sending the fire eagle sweeping around for another attack._

_“I’ll bring the eagle close and you give us cover while we get onto it!” he cries._

_I send Zabimaru flying into the attacking men again as the fire eagle lands and swells to a size large enough to carry us. We leap onto its back. As we rise into the air, kido attacks flare behind us._

_“Dad, look out!”_

_Takeo slams into me taking us both down, tumbling from the eagle’s back. Rikichi’s response is instant. He sends white fire flashing out of the eagle’s beak to provide us time to recover. As I drag myself to my feet, I notice Takeo hasn’t moved. With no time to respond, I just grab him and leap back onto the eagle’s back. Rikichi sends the eagle into the air as I lean over Takeo._

_“How is he?” Rikichi yells, turning the eagle to evade some kido fire._

_I check him carefully for injuries._

_“He’s stunned…a concussion, some cuts…nothing I can’t manage,” I assure Rikichi._

_Healing light flares around my hands._

_“Do you know where they’ve taken the captain?” Rikichi calls back._

_I think back to what the note said._

_“Yeah,” I say, feeling sickness rising inside, “head for the river…the big oak tree on the east bank.”_

_I don’t want to think about it being too late…or about the memory that’s pushing against my mind. But it reaches me anyway. My mind is assaulted with the memory of Kasumi lying underneath the oak tree, her body ice-cold and touched with dew. I wonder how long ago they took him there…how much of the night he has spent lying ice-cold on the hard ground, alone and dying. Angry tears threaten and the rage flares so hotly I feel Zabimaru flare against my hip. Takeo begins to stir. I turn to him, trying to smile ._

_“Hey,” I say softly, “thanks for getting me out of the line of fire, kid.”_

_He tries to sit up, but I push him back gently._

_“Not yet…take a breather.”_

_He nods and falls back, closing his eyes._

_“You know,” I tell him quietly, “You called me Dad.”_

_His eyes remain closed, but he smiles._

_“Yeah…I did, didn’t I?_

_I nod._

_“It sounded good, Takeo,” I tell him, leaning forward and touching his shoulder, “You just…go right on calling me that.”_

_His smile widens and his eyes open and meet mine._

_“I will.”_

_The eagle banks and starts to descend. The river appears out of the haze beneath us. Rikichi sends the eagle down along the east bank. The oak tree appears in the mist ahead of us._

_“Be careful,” I warn Rikichi, “He might be waiting for us._

_Rikichi nods. The eagle sweeps in for a landing next to the tree and I am off and running before it has come to a stop. I run full speed through the mist, icy coldness in my veins as I spot a huddled form on the ground ahead of me. I slide to a stop, staring as history starts to repeat itself._

_He’s lying face-down, his head rested on his arms, his haori and scarf moving softly in the breeze. Motionless…I freeze. I can’t close the distance. I can’t do this again…_

_“Renji!” Rikichi cries, running to join me with Takeo on his heels._

_The sound of my name forces me to move. I drop down beside him, tears rising in my eyes. His haori is damp and his skin is cold, but as I turn him over and pull him close, his eyes open and I can feel him shaking. I can’t breathe. Then I see Kasumi’s pendant at his throat and a sob escapes me._

_“Byakuya!”_

_“Renji,” he whispers, looking as though he isn’t sure whether or not I’m real._

_“Hang in there,” I tell him, “We’ll get you to Kurotsuchi. They are testing a counteragent. They found a recipe for one at the abandoned warehouse. “_

_“No…” he says, choking on his words, “Renji…think about it. Do you…really think he would be so careless? He as much as told me it isn’t real.”_

_I stare at him as the weight of what he says sinks in._

_“But that’s our only hope…” I whisper._

_“No, Renji, it is meant to distract us. You have to…trust Kisuke.”_

_I stare into the beautiful dark eyes and I know we have only enough time to reach one destination. Everything rests on this choice. He reaches up and touches my face with an ice-cold hand._

_“I know you’re out of your mind with worry, Renji, but you must think clearly. Raiden wouldn’t allow us to obtain a cure so easily. If he had one, he would guard it carefully. He would have it in hand to protect it…and he would, most likely, have revealed its existence to me while I was with him.”_

_I can’t accept this!_

_“Listen to me, Renji, this is not just about revenge. Raiden is planning an attack on the highest ranking officers of the 13 Court Guard Squads. What he has done to us is only the beginning. I want Rikichi to take us to Kisuke…and as we go, you have to listen to what I learned. The stealth force needs to know about the attack he is planning. It is your duty to protect the other officers from his attack. You don’t have time to concern yourself with what happens to me.”_

_“Renji, we have to hurry,” Rikichi says softly, “Where should we take him?”_

_I stare into Byakuya’s eyes. He seems really sure about this…but…_

_“Renji,” he says gently, “you have to trust me. The recipe they found is a lie. My best chance for survival lies with Kisuke.”_

_I bring my forehead down to rest against his. His hair is damp and cold against my skin._

_“Okay,” I say, my voice shaking, “if that’s what you want me to do…okay.”_

_I lift him and carry him back to the waiting fire eagle. Rikichi and Takeo climb up behind us. I sit with Byakuya resting in my arms as the eagle rises into the air._

_“I’ll make him pay for this,” I promise Byakuya, “He won’t get away with what he has done!”_

_“I appreciate that Renji…but right now you have to focus. Take the pendant and I need you to memorize what I tell you about their plans. You need to remember in case…in case I should be…unable to tell them.”_

_“You’re going to be…”_

_“Focus, Vice Captain! Remember you duty.”_

_That shocks me into work mode…at least enough so that I can attend as he explains what he found in the files at the base. When he finishes, I summon a hell butterfly and send it to Captain Soi Fon, asking her to meet us in Karakura Town. As it flies away, I see him gazing up at me, an unreadable look in his eyes._

_“Have we seen to our duty now, Captain?” I ask softly._

_He nods and his eyes close._

_“Then let me take care of you now, okay? Just let me take care of you.”_

_“Arigato, Renji.”_

_He is quiet for a moment._

_“Renji, where is Senbonzakura?”_

_“Right here,” I tell him, pulling it free from its place next to Zabimaru._

_“I need you to unseal it. Don’t worry, the spirit of my zanpakuto hasn’t the strength for attack. I just…want to connect with it”_

_“Is that safe?” I ask, remembering what happened the last time the sword was unsealed._

_“Yes, Renji, it is safe now,” he assures me._

_I extend my hands over the blade and break the seal. Unlike the last time, this action is met with silence…and the sword’s spirit is quiet and calm. I sheathe the blade and set the zanpakuto in Byakuya’s arms. He moves Senbonzakura so that the hilt rests against his right shoulder and the remainder rests along his right side. One pale hand curls lovingly around the sheath._

_The fire eagle flares warmly beneath us as we race toward Karakura Town, and toward the only man left with any chance of keeping Byakuya alive._


	12. Cheating Death

_In the coolness of dawn, we soar over Karakura town and sweep in for a landing behind Kisuke Urahara’s shop. I am shocked at what greets us. Every squad captain and vice captain is present…as is the head captain. They line either side of the walkway, their faces stern. Stealth force is everywhere. Kisuke Urahara stands next to the head captain, his expression serious. Everyone is silent as I carry Byakuya down from the fire eagle’s back and approach them._

_His eyes open slightly at the sudden motion. He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes are tired. The heat has returned to his body now, but in the manner of a fever and I feel him shaking softly under my hands._

_“We’re at Kisuke’s now,” I tell him, “I did what you wanted. Now the rest is up to Kisuke…and to you.”_

_He nods, then lets his head rest against my shoulder. There is silence as we approach Kisuke and the captains. I stop in front of Kisuke Urahara, staring at him with fierce eyes._

_“You have to keep him alive,” I say, and then nothing else will come out._

_Kisuke hesitates for a moment._

_“I have something prepared, but Renji, I haven’t had time to test it. I only just discovered it and made some to test. It really needs to be tested…”_

_“No, damn it! Does he look like he can wait?” I snap back at him._

_Kurotsuchi steps forward._

_“This is madness! This compound was one that was developed under my direction before it was stolen. The whole point of it was to evade the threat of counteragents. It is a tool for assassination. What we found in the warehouse was a fake. There is not now, nor will there be a counteragent…and if you use him as your test subject you can no longer claim that my methods are barbaric.”_

_Zabimaru flares at my hip and I feel the rage taking over._

_“Do you mean to say…that you are responsible for the existence of this…this ‘assassination tool?’ You made the stuff that’s killing him?”_

_“Well, it has been tweaked in a very ingenious fashion, but yes, it was my creation. But it was stolen and twisted into this madness.”_

_“If that is true, then you deserve what Raiden plans for you,” I growl, turning away._

_Byakuya’s hand touches my face and I freeze._

_“Renji,” he breathes softly, “do you really believe that all of these soul reapers deserve to die for one man’s poor judgment? The man I love would never allow that. Don’t take it out on them, Renji. Allow Kisuke to take me inside and tell them what I told you. That is your captain’s order,” he says quietly._

_“Don’t make me do this. Don’t make me leave you alone, right now…not right now!”_

_He studies my face for a moment._

_“You are right, Renji. I cannot force you to do this…so I ask it. Please respect my wishes.”_

_Kisuke reaches out to take Byakuya from my arms. I hesitate for a moment, then I kiss him lightly on a soft eyebrow and let him go. I watch them disappear into the shop, then I turn back to the captains._

_“When this began, we thought that it was just a man exacting revenge on me by hurting Byakuya. But that is not true. While he was held in Raiden’s fortress, Byakuya discovered a plan to use the poison he was given to kill every captain and vice captain in the 13 court guard squads.”_

_Their faces grow pale as they realize now that what happened to Byakuya could happen to them._

_“Byakuya memorized a list of operatives working in the Sereitei who Raiden plans to use to complete the poisonings. You have seen what it did to Byakuya. He believes the threat is serious. We need to put those operatives out of commission and stop this before it starts.”_

_Captain Unohana steps forward._

_“My squad will meet with Kisuke here and assuming his treatment is viable, we will produce it on a larger scale.”_

_The head captain nods in approval, then turns to Soi Fon._

_“Captain, you will accompany the vice captain to his captain’s bedside.”_

_He glances at me._

_“There, he will give you the list of operatives for you to apprehend. Vice Captain Abarai, you will brief Captain Soi Fon on the identities of these traitors so that she may begin the task of apprehending them as quickly as possible.”_

_“Arigato, Head Captain,” I say, bowing._

_I turn to go inside. Suddenly I hear Kurotsuchi’s voice approaching._

_“Well, I imagine I should be there to attempt rescue when this counteragent kills him.”_

_I turn and block his path. He stares in disbelief._

_“Get out of my way you imbecile!” he snaps._

_I pull Zabimaru from his sheath and hear hisses of shock from the assembled officers._

_“If you take one step toward my captain,” I tell him in a low, dangerous voice, “I will separate your head from the rest of your obnoxious body. Stay the hell away from Byakuya or nothing will stop me from killing you!”_

_“Vice Captain,” says the head captain sternly, “cease threatening your superior officer and go tend to your captain. Captain Kurotsuchi, your presence is not required within. We should, however, discuss the implications of your reckless behavior!”_

_Kurotsuchi glares as I pass by him. It takes every bit of self control I have not to draw my weapon and slit his throat._

_Soi Fon follows me into the shop and down the hall to the room Kisuke has prepared for Byakuya. He looks more comfortable in the soft bed, but I see quickly that he is no longer lucid. He moans my name softly. I sit down in the chair next to his bed and lower my face close to his. The heat radiated off of him before is gone and his skin feels icy._

_“Damn! Why is he so cold?” I gasp._

_“I had to reduce his body temperature for the duration of this. Trust me, this will all make sense in a minute._

_Kisuke sits down next to me and prepares an IV for the delivery of the counteragent. As he works, I recount to Soi Fon the names of Raiden’s operatives, and then she flash steps away. I turn back to Kisuke._

_“What about Senbonzakura?” I ask softly._

_“Already done,” he tells me, gesturing over his shoulder._

_Byakuya’s zanpakuto rests suspended inside a clear glass chamber on the counter. A pulsating green glow surrounds it._

_“How will you know if it works on the zanpakuto?” I ask._

_“Same as with Byakuya…it won’t die.”_

_“Great…” I sigh._

_He reaches into his pocket and withdraws a syringe, then turns to me._

_“Renji, I have to prepare you for what is going to happen. The poison that was used on Byakuya attaches to the recipient’s reiatsu and slowly infects it, causing fatigue, loss of consciousness, weakening of the reiatsu, coma, then death. It was designed to actually bond with whatever life form it targeted, becoming part of it as it slowly caused the life form’s destruction. That’s what makes it so hard to counteract. I tested a sample of the poison taken from you and found that after it completes the destruction, it detaches and dissipates. I reasoned then, that the only way to beat it is to convince the poison that its work is done, thereby causing it to dissipate and become harmless.”_

_“What? Are you saying…”_

_“Don’t worry, I won’t let him actually die. I do, however, have to use the counteragent I prepared to induce a deathlike state. Theoretically, it will last for about five minutes, after which, I will revive him.”_

_“Five minutes?” I say, my voice trembling._

_Kisuke places a hand on my arm._

_“That is why I lowered his body temperature. I needed a way to hold him in that deathlike state without it causing permanent damage. The lower body temperature will protect him from damage.”_

_I’m really shaking now._

_“That’s so…desperate!”_

_“I tried everything else I could think of and this is the only way that even has a hope of working. Renji, we need to do this now. If you want encouragement, look at Senbonzakura. I just woke the spirit and so far, it looks as though the poison has dissipated. Of course, it may be different for a soul reaper, but there’s no way to know until we try it.”_

_I stare at Senbonzakura, still floating in the glass chamber, then I look back at Byakuya._

_“All right,” I say, finally, “Do what you have to do.”_

_Kisuke leans forward again and takes Byakuya’s arm, holding steady, then slowly injects the counteragent into the IV line. Afterwards, he sits back, his eyes focused intently on Byakuya._

_“We should see the effect right away.”_

_As we watch, Byakuya’s eyes suddenly open and his body shudders violently._

_“Kisuke!” I gasp, jumping to my feet._

_“Don’t panic!” he says sharply, “The counteragent was probably a little too potent, but he’ll be okay.”_

_I move onto the bed and move so that Byakuya rests in my arms._

_His breathing is fast and shallow and I can feel his heart fluttering too light and too fast…_

_“Kisuke…” _

_“Listen, Renji…his breathing and heart are going to stop…don’t panic when it happens. Remember, the poison won’t dissipate until it receives a signal that the life form has died.”_

_“But five minutes?”_

_“I know…it’s a long time. But I believe it will work. I told you. I reduced his body temperature so that there will be no permanent damage.”_

_“Theoretically…” I remind him._

_“Yeah…”_

_Byakuya trembles softly one more time, then releases a gentle sigh and goes perfectly still. Now my heart is the one that races too fast…and I’m the one who can’t stop shaking._

_“Hang in there, Renji,” Kisuke says very softly, “Trust me.”_

_“Like I have a choice,” I moan._

_Kisuke checks the clock, then goes to the glass chamber that holds Senbonzakura. He puts his hands on the chamber and releases the seal. It hisses as the top rises and Kisuke reaches in and withdraws Byakuya’s weapon. He returns to the bed and places the weapon so that it rests against Byakuya’s side._

_“Renji,” he says softly, “I need you to have Zabimaru examine Senbonzakura. I need to know if the poison is truly gone.”_

_I nod and work my zanpakuto carefully free. Zabimaru appears next to me._

_“I need you to tell me if Senbonzakura is okay now. I need to know if the poison has dissipated.”_

_Zabimaru gazes down at Senbonzakura, wrapping his red light around it. He frowns thoughtfully._

_“Well?” I ask impatiently._

_“The poison is gone,” he confirms, “and there has been no permanent damage, but the spirit is entering a rest phase to regain its strength. It will be at full strength again in about two days. Until then, the zanpakuto cannot be released.”_

_“Then the counteragent will work on Byakuya?” I ask._

_Now the zanpakuto’s light wraps around Byakuya and pulsates softly. He catches his breath sharply._

_“What! What is it?” I demand._

_“The dosage of the counteragent was too strong. When he wakes, there could be a reaction.”_

_“Like what?”_

_“I do not know…just that something will happen. The poison is dissipating, though. Renji, it is working. Just be prepared…”_

_He slowly fades._

_“Great…be prepared for what?”_

_Kisuke shakes his head apologetically._

_Kisuke and I watch the minutes tick by and I hold Byakuya’s cold, inert body protectively against my chest, stroking his hair gently. Finally, Kisuke places his hands on Byakuya’s chest and focuses heavily. Healing green light flares under his hands. It pours into Byakuya’s body, pulsating softly. He raises the intensity of the flow of energy several times, each time pausing to check for signs of life._

_“Come on, Byakuya, help me out here…” he says softly._

_He raises the intensity again._

_“Renji…how do you wake him?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“At home, when he is asleep and you want him to wake. How do you wake him?”_

_All at once, I remember the tale of Snow White…of the seeming death, the prince’s kiss, and the happy ending. I silently wish for the same miracle. Leaning forward, I whisper into his ear._

_“Byakuya, it’s time for you to wake up. It’s time for you to come back to us. Byakuya…”_

_I turn my head and bring my mouth to his, capturing his lips in desperate, pleading kiss._

_Kisuke steps back. Byakuya stirs softly and takes a shallow breath. I’m holding my breath now. I stroke his face gently as he grows warmer beneath my hands and I can feel heart beating steadily again. Slowly, his eyes blink open. Kisuke and I stare down at him uncomprehendingly. His eyes have gone golden. I remember what Zabimaru said. But what does this mean?_

_“Byakuya?” I whisper._

_He turns the dangerous golden eyes in my direction and the spirit energy in the room begins to rise. It continues to increase until the building shakes around us and we hear glass shatter as the windows burst._

_“What’s happening?” I yell at Kisuke._

_“The counteragent was too strong!” he yells over the hum of power, “His spirit energy is going out of control!”_

_“What do we do?”_

_He shakes his head._

_“We can’t do it…We need Senbonzakura. But, Renji, I don’t know if the zanpakuto is strong enough yet to bring him under control.”_

_“We don’t have a choice!” I yell back, “He’s going to level himself and everything within ten miles of this place if we don’t stop him!”_

_Kisuke nods and stands, reaching down to pick up the zanpakuto._

_“Come on now, you two,” he says softly, “You have to help me out here.”_

_He pulls Senbonzakura free, then lifts it high over Byakuya. The blade seems to fall in slow motion sinking downward and plunging into Byakuya’s chest. Golden light explodes around us…and if there was any glass left unbroken in the shop…it shatters now. The light blinds me and I hang onto Byakuya for dear life as the room quakes madly. The golden power rages, pressing hard against me until I can barely breathe. I hear Senbonzakura calling Byakuya…then the golden light flickers harshly and starts to recede. Kisuke pulls the zanpakuto free and I’m relieved when I see it has not left any damage…but Byakuya has retreated to his inner world now. All Kisuke and I can do now is wait for him to emerge. I sink down next to him and rest my head on his shoulder. His heartbeat sounds softly in my ear and his breath stirs my hair. _

_“Renji,” Kisuke says, his smile finally returning, “he made it through. He’ll be okay now…I promise you. The bad stuff is over. He and Senbonzakura just have to reconnect and he’ll wake up.”_

_He looks around the shattered room and shakes his head._

_“My shop, on the other hand, is trashed!”_


	13. Scattered Petals

****

_I wake to the sight of a midnight sky, lying on my back and staring into an endless sea of stars, but there is no moon. Cherry blossom petals drift on the breeze all around, reflecting the starshine on their soft faces. I hear a rush of water nearby and the fresh scent that follows the rain is all around. Storm clouds swell, slowly crawling across the sky, misting over the stars until I have been left in darkness. _

_How did I come to be here? What is this place? There is a sense that it should be familiar, but the clouds across the sky have confused my thoughts. _

_I feel that I am not alone._

_“You have finally returned,” says a soft male voice, “It isn’t like you to keep me waiting like this. If it was anyone but you, I would have thought death was at hand…and indeed it did touch us ever so briefly, did it not?”_

_“Who are you?” I ask, “Where are you? I don’t see you.”_

_“No, you cannot see me yet, because you are not fully awakened. Stand.”_

_There is a heaviness to my body as I gain my feet, a cloudiness of thought. I turn in all directions, seeking the one who speaks to me, but I am alone…and I know inside my heart that this should not be so._

_“Where are you?” I ask again, “Why am I here?”_

_I feel the attack before he moves, but his speed is blinding. I loose the sword at my hip and bring it around, meeting the one I cannot see with a shock of metal on metal._

_“I see you still have your basic reflexes, then. But do not think that such an inferior thing will enable you to defeat me. Do you see me yet?”_

_I do not answer._

_I feel the next strike coming and block again. This time, my blocking move is a breath too slow and I feel blood cooling on my skin. My breath catches softly._

_“Did you expect me to go easy on you? That has never been my way and you of all people should know that. It is not your way either.”_

_I block three heavy strikes in quick succession._

_“Your speed is improving, but you are still too slow. I am not even trying and already I have drawn your blood. Can you shatter the confusion? Can you force your eyes to see? Or are we at an end?”_

_“Tell me your name.”_

_He laughs, a bitter grating assault on the night sounds._

_“Tell me yours,” he says softly._

_Shock freezes me in my tracks as I realize that I do not know it. The hesitation is not missed and I am treated to a blinding rush of sword strikes that ends with a harsh slash and the splash of blood._

_“You are unwise to lower your guard. Now, you asked me my name and I asked for yours. I can see now that you do not remember. I shall attempt to remind you. For until you remember yourself, your eyes will not see me and your lips cannot form my name.”_

_I feel him move away._

_“First, you are a man of great pride. I will test that pride. For if you are my master, then your pride will not allow you to bend in my presence.”_

_The spiritual pressure begins to rise around me. At first it is bearable, but as it rises, the grass ripples, the trees sway, the cloud of cherry blossoms swells as more are shaken free and the ground rumbles madly beneath me. The pressure descends on me, bearing down and wrapping around me, tightening its hold until I cannot breathe._

_“Well now,” the voice says, “this is a surprise. Before, I could never even take hold of you. Now break free, or I will crush you. Where is your pride?”_

_The pressure increases around me and I feel darkness approaching._

_“Come now, you don’t really want to die, do you? It is there inside you, that pride. It has never failed. And it will not allow you to lose to me. If it does, you will not live to suffer the surrender of pride. Because if you do not have the pride to stand against my power, then you are truly gone from me and I will mourn your passing. Now, find your pride and do not let me kill you.”_

_The pressure rises again and I feel my soul tremble against it. Something inside me refuses to accept this. Somewhere inside is a familiar rage breaking free. It remembers this one who faces me and it knows not to bend. The feeling swells until it can no longer be contained, and then explodes out of me with the force of a hurricane, shattering the spirit energy that binds me, and setting me free._

_“That is more like you, though it took much longer than it should. But you have passed the first test. You have reawakened your pride. Look around you.”_

_The clouds have thinned. There is a dim circle where the moon should be._

_“Now then,” the voice continues, “on to the second test. You are a man of honor. You will not relinquish your honor for any cause.”_

_The spiritual abilities that have been helping me counter his moves suddenly disappear and his sword slashes. I am only able to counter at all because my ears pick up the swish of the blade on the air and I can feel warmth on the side he occupies._

_“I have stolen your spiritual abilities. I attack without warning and whatever I must do to kill you, I will do. Will your honor hold?”_

_ His sword slashes and tears at my skin. The wound is not deep, but the attack was not full power. It was a warning. He attacks again, a shattering display of a thousand swift strikes. My blocking moves are swift and even with the greater portion of my senses affected, I manage to avoid death. But the slashes that connect take their toll. My blood flows in trickles and slow streams down my body now._

_“Will you relinquish your honor?” he asks._

_He slashes again, without warning, tearing at my flesh again, then raises his spirit energy against mine._

_“Only your honor will save you now. Tell me, what will make you relinquish your honor?”_

_I feel the sword descending and I am frozen in the grip of his spiritual pressure. My heart gives me the answer a moment before the blade connects._

_“No threat, no power, not even death itself will make me relinquish my honor.”_

_The sword should have connected, but there is no impact. I feel my senses returning. The clouds in the sky continue to thin and the outline of the moon shines softly. I see a shimmer in the air before me and the warmth of the spirit I face reaches me._

_“Admirable…much more like you. You have passed the second test. You are beginning to see again…but there is more. You are ready for the third test.”_

_Without warning, darkness envelops me and slowly the most basic of my senses are removed. There in the darkness, bereft of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch, I am suspended. Frozen and alone, I contemplate what this new test must be. He has tested my pride and my honor. What is he testing by isolating me here? Is this a test of some skill needed to break free, or perhaps a test of some kind of resolve to keep me from going mad from this loss of connection with my surroundings? I know he won’t help me figure this out. He would have to violate the conventions of the test to do so. No, I am going to have to figure this out on my own. What is tested with numbness, with loss of taste and smell, with the loneliness of silence and impenetrable darkness? I feel the answer forming, then suddenly I sense a presence nearby…he is here. He will attack. And without my senses, I will not be able to stop him. For how can I raise a sword when I cannot feel my body to call it into action? How can I block an attack, I cannot see, hear, or feel?_

_-I do not fear pain nor even death.-_

_The sword descends and power explodes around me. I am thrown to the ground and dust and cherry blossoms dance in the dusty air all around me. My senses have returned. The dust slowly clears. I am lying on my back and I can see the shine of all of the stars again. The full moon reigns over them, its brightness restored. The clouds are gone now._

_“Impressive,” says the voice, “Rise, now, and tell me your name.”_

_I climb to my feet and turn. A masked warrior stands facing me, holding a sword that looks like mine. Recognition flares in my mind. I know this warrior. I know him like I know my own soul._

_“Tell me your name,” he says again, raising his weapon._

_Suddenly, I know the answer._

_“I am Byakuya Kuchiki.”_

_I feel the smile behind the mask._

_“Byakuya Kuchiki, you have fought well and you have reawakened your pride, honor and fearlessness. You have relearned your name. But if you wish to be my master again, you must defeat me in battle to force me to tell you my name. Only the return of your full power and strength will allow you to defeat me.”_

_The spiritual pressure begins to rise and I raise mine to counter it. It tears the trees and the very grass from the ground, and then sends the broken earth spinning away as well. The stars and moon spiral out of control and disappear into the distance. We are suspended in darkness…but I refuse to let it envelop me. My body glows with white light and I see pink light form in the darkness ahead of me._

_“Now Byakuya Kuchiki, you will remember me or you will lose a part of yourself you could not bear to be without!”_

_I feel the flash step before he moves and counter his blade, then swiftly force his sword down and slash at him. His flash step carries him out of my range, then mine brings me close to him again. He gasps softly at the crash of our blades against each other. We move into a blizzard of steel strikes and parries, of slashes and blocks, of cuts and sprays of blood. The spirit laughs._

_“Very well, you are strong. I’ll give you that. But can you withstand my Shikai? Scatter!”_

_His sword dissolves into a sea of pink petals that spin and dance on the air, moving to strike me. I watch as they approach, listening to his laughter and feeling the promise of death if they are not countered._

_“Hado #33, Soukatsui!”_

_The forces meet and shatter each other, driving us backwards. His laughter has stopped and I feel his frown behind the mask._

_“Child’s play for you Byakuya Kuchiki, is it not? But I have not even begun. You know what comes next. “_

_He is correct. I do remember now._

_“Ban Kai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”_

_Steel swords rise all around him now, dissolving into millions of tiny blades that rise into the air and follow as I flash step away._

_“Hado #4, Byakurai!”_

_The sudden bolt of lightning forces him to halt his attack for a moment, giving me time to flash step inside his guard and strike. Blood flies and he gasps harshly. His anger raises the spiritual pressure and his return strike connects sending me tumbling backwards, blood exploding all around us._

_“Foolish,” he says, panting with pain, “You reached me, but you paid a heavy price. You will not defeat me this way, but feel free to try.”_

_A sea of petal blades rises and swells, wrapping itself around me with deadly speed. It closes around me as my kido shield rises and my sword slashes. Pink and white light clash and break against each other, causing a deep vibration in the air all around. Slowly, he reappears before me._

_“Adequately defended, but can you defend against endless blades attacking from every direction at once? Let’s see you try!”_

_His eyes flash with power._

_“Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”_

_The blades close around me again in a huge pink sphere. There are too many and even with the flash step, I won’t have the speed to counter all of them. The sphere begins to collapse and time slows all around me. As the blades slash, I unleash a rotating volley of blue fire. It is not enough to spare me from the whole of the attack, but enough that although I am thrown down and cut, the strike does not kill me. The spirit laughs again._

_“Nicely done. But can you live through this?”_

_“Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!”_

_A thousand pink swords rise and close around us. He inhales sharply when he sees I am smiling. I remember this now…and I know how to defeat it. Seeing the recognition, he tries to shatter my focus by calling two swords down into his hands and attacking immediately._

_“You are foolish to drop your defenses with me,” I tell him._

_He growls with fury and unleashes a heavy barrage of cuts and slashes. We spin around, crashing against the barrier and shaking it with our combined spirit energy. As he brings the two swords down, I twist mine and lock all three blades together. The spirit growls with anger and strains to pull free. I place one hand where the blades are joined._

_“Hado # 4, Byakurai!”_

_The blast destroys the two blades he holds. He laughs again and calls two more blades into his hands. This time he flashes towards me instantly, twisting as he reaches me and striking out with one blade, then the other. I block them, but they do damage._

_“You see, Byakuya,” he says calmly, “I do not need defenses to defeat you.”_

_“So you say,” I reply, panting softly, “but you have not defeated me yet. What you have done…is to underestimate me!”_

_I grab the two swords with my bare hands and blast them with spirit energy. They shatter in his hands. Raising my spirit energy again, I unleash a brutal assault on the blades that surround us. He stares in surprise as the pink blades shiver at the rush of my power against them._

_“No!” he cries, the first sign of weakness, as my spiritual pressure shatters the cage that surrounds us. _

_Pink fragments float on the air all around us. He stares at me, speechless._

_“Have you nothing left?” I ask him, “Have you not one last attack you can use to defeat me? Bring it forth. I welcome it. Do not keep me waiting…”_

_“Very well,” he says softly, his expression hidden behind the mask._

_“Shukei, Hakuteiken.”_

_I smile, finally remembering the full beauty of the white emperor sword as it rises over me. He gazes down at me for a moment and I feel warmth in his words._

_“If you survive this strike, you will earn the right to wield me, to know my name, to be my master.“_

_As he descends, I remember that victory will not be found in flash steps or kido…or even in the slash of my blade. Calmly, I lower all of my defenses, meeting his attack with only the truth of who I am, Byakuya Kuchiki, 6th Division Captain and master of the thousand sword. Spiritual pressure surrounds me and as the spirit reaches me, I suddenly remember the name I had forgotten._

_“Senbonzakura…” I breathe._

_The sound of that name on the breeze captures the falling sword and surrounds sword and spirit with my power. I hold the surprised eyes for a moment, and then blast the white emperor sword into nothingness, reaching out to steady the defeated spirit that tumbles free. He lands on his feet in front of me, his palm rested against mine. Slowly, the regal head bows._

_“Byakuya Kuchiki, I welcome your return. Come, much has happened while you were gone.”_

_He releases my hand and turns. I follow him into the trees, down a misted trail to a waterfall that descends thousands of feet into an endless sea. We rest quietly at the edge, with the moon and stars lighting the night sky above us. The feeling of home that has always been with me in this place has finally returned._

_“There is a battle that must take place soon and we must be there to play an important role. Already, the young wolf has gone to brace his enemy, but he cannot win while he is faced with one who fights without honor…who uses base means to gain dominance. You are a keeper of peace, a defender of laws and just practices. You must go and find him before his enemy strikes him down.”_

_I look out over the sea and a face appears on the water._

_“Takeo…” I whisper, “You mean Takeo.”_

_Senbonzakura nods._

_“His fate hangs in the balance. We must go to him and play our rightful part,” he says, locking his eyes on mine, “no more and no less…Do you understand?”_

_“I understand.”_

_He holds my gaze for a moment longer._

_“Do not believe those who say we cannot yet fight together. We are recovering still, but our resolve will carry us through this battle. Just be aware of the power you expend. We are not yet fully restored.”_

_He turns back to look out over the sea. His next words are soft, nearly a whisper on the breeze._

_“I am pleased you have returned. Your absence was…alarming.”_

_I touch him on the shoulder and his head bows._

_“It is time for you to go,” he says, ”I will await your return with anticipation.”_

_Before I can answer, the world around me begins to grow brighter as a new sun rises. Our eyes lock one last time before that place fades away and I am left in darkness. I feel heaviness return to my body and I feel a touch on my arm._

_“Captain Kuchiki,” Kisuke Urahara says softly, “Welcome back to the land of the living.”_

_I turn my head and find that the two of us are alone. I remember that Renji was here before. Now he has gone and I do not sense his reiatsu._

_“Where is Renji?” I ask._

_“Ah…he and Rikichi have gone after Takeo. It seems that our young friend was incensed with Raiden’s actions…against Kasumi, against Renji, and against you. While the rest of us were focused on you, he slipped away. He went looking for Raiden. He wants revenge. And if I have Raiden pegged right, he’ll let the boy find him. He doesn’t stand a chance. That bastard has no honor, no moral code.”_

_“The boy can win…but not alone.”_

_“That’s why they went. Now, you rest here. I’ll be back with tea…that is, if I can find a cup that wasn’t shattered when you lost control of your power and decimated the place.”_

_“My apologies, Kisuke Urahara,” I say, blinking slowly, “however the loss of control was a function of the overdose of counteragent…if I remember correctly.”_

_“Yeah…you’re right about that. Anyway, rest here and I’ll be back with tea. Just try not to go golden-eyed again. I can’t afford for this place to take any more damage.”_

_He pushes the broken door aside and steps out into the hallway. I wait until his steps have faded away, and then slip out of bed and head for the opening where the window used to be. I hear his footsteps returning and flash step away before he enters the room. _


	14. Pride of the Young Wolf

Takeo stood quietly beneath the old gnarled oak tree, staring blankly down at the place where Raiden had placed his mother, and later, his captain. His mother was dead and he didn’t yet know the fate of his captain…but whatever Captain Kuchiki’s outcome, Raiden had done too much evil to be allowed to live. And while he wasn’t certain he had what it would take to defeat him, Takeo felt a rage inside that thirsted for justice, one that could only be fed with the spilling of the evil one’s blood. And it was only right, he thought, that Raiden’s blood should be shed here, where his evil tainted the very ground.

He sensed Raiden’s eyes watching and knew he would show himself soon. Then the moment would come…the moment he had promised himself.

“I was wondering who you could be that Captain Kuchiki and Renji Abarai would concern themselves so strongly with your fate.”

Raiden’s voice rose out of the mist on the far side of the tree. Takeo rounded the tree and took a stance opposite his mother’s killer.

“I should have figured it out sooner. You do favor her, you know.”

“I’m more like my father,” replied Takeo in a low growl.

“Your father…” Raiden said dismissively, “Your father is a dog from the Rukon. He was a gutter rat with nothing at all to offer her.”

Raiden suddenly found himself having to rapidly draw his zanpakuto to defend himself against a blistering volley of sword strikes and kido.

“Do not ever speak of Renji Abarai that way!” Takeo raged, “He was far more worthy of my mother’s love than an evil worm like you!”

Raiden’s eyes flashed with deadly fury.

“You insolent whelp!” he hissed, “Well, you asked for a worm, young pup, but what you will face is a snake…one with more power than a little one like yourself can manage. You should have remained hidden in the Rukon, Takeo. You should have allowed Renji to live in blissful ignorance of your existence, because when you took the first step in my direction, you signed your own death warrant! Prepare yourself, Takeo, you are about to die…but don’t worry, you will not die alone. I planned this fate for you and I planned the fate that will meet the ones who follow you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Takeo warily, “How did you prepare for this?”

Raiden’s eyes flashed red.

“Take note, Takeo…but be swift in your comprehension or you will die before you understand my answer to that question!”

Suddenly, the ground rumbled under Takeo’s feet and tendrils crept up from beneath Takeo’s feet, wrapping around the astonished boy’s legs. At the same time, branches from the old oak trailed down from the tree, capturing the boy’s arms as he tried to slash at them with his zanpakuto. Within less than a minute, Takeo was held completely motionless, defenseless against whatever attack Raiden might launch next.

“I called you a worm before?” said Takeo disdainfully, “I was being too kind! Even a worm has more honor than this! Release me! Release me and fight me like a man, not some cowardly snake!”

Raiden laughed softly.

“Takeo…young Takeo! You are just like him. You think everything is fair and just, and that we should all engage in battle with stiff rules and useless requirements of honor. Boy, I do not care about any of that. I seek power. My master is Sosuke Aizen, and he does not see the need for such useless affectations either. Simply put, I will defeat you…with no nod to fairness, fair play, or your useless honor. What I need to do, I will do. It is a ruthlessness and a resolve that one like you…and one like your mongrel father cannot understand.”

“Bastard!” screamed Takeo, straining against his bonds, “Meet me in civilized battle, you coward!”

Raiden stepped forward and stood studying Takeo for a moment, then slapped him soundly across the face.

“That,” he hissed, “is for your defiance. Do not dare to speak to me that way again. As a matter of fact, do not speak at all!”

He forced a gag into Takeo’s mouth and fastened it carefully, and then took hold of his hair and pulled his head back.

“Now, little dog, you are going to prove yourself useful before you die. You will bait the trap for your mongrel father so that when I kill you, I will kill you both! Relax for a bit. I will be back”

He slipped back into the mist, concealing himself.

Takeo strained against the bonds holding his limbs and worked madly to loosen the gag, but both were tightly wrapped around him. He tried using kido, but as he invoked the spell, the tendrils and branches that restrained him flashed dimly and the spell failed. His zanpakuto now lay on the ground at his feet. He refocused his energy on conserving his strength and listening deeply, reaching out with his reiatsu, trying to warn his father of the trap that awaited him.

He didn’t have to wait long. Just a half hour or so after Takeo’s arrival, he felt the approach of Rikichi’s eagle, which he could sense carried both the third seat and Renji Abarai. Now, he just had to find a way to warn them before the trap was sprung. He renewed his assault on his bonds as footsteps sounded nearby and Renji’s voice broke through the mist

“Takeo! Takeo, I know you’re here! Where are you? Takeo!” Renji called.

Takeo screamed through the gag, but only succeeded in choking himself. He watched in horror as his father and Rikichi rounded the tree and suddenly stumbled upon him. As their eyes met, Renji and Rikichi’s widened in realization, but before they could react, tendrils and branches burst out all around them, wrapping around their arms and legs as they fought to resist.

“Roar Zabimaru!” Renji cried, but as the weapon began its release, tendrils wrapped around it as well, halting its release. Rikichi’s release was stopped in the same fashion. Soon all three hung facing each other, their faces pale and their eyes wide. Raiden stepped toward them, smiling wickedly.

“Well,” he said softly, “I’ve snared the pack, haven’t I? Now all of you are here and I can rid myself of your annoying existence! I shall have everything I wanted. Captain Kuchiki, the strongest of the soul reapers is dead, your backstabbing mother is dead, you three will now die, and then I will launch an attack on the Sereitei that will bring the 13 Court Guard Squads to their knees! It is a shame that you won’t be here to see that…but I can no longer allow you to live. You have become too much trouble for your own good.

The entrapped soul reapers stared as he drew his zanpakuto.

“I think,” he said softly, “you have all learned a valuable lesson only a scant moment to late to save your lives. Life is not fair. Justice is not a guarantee. And simply because you call yourself a hero, does not mean you will win! Always, superior intellect and power will prevail. Get ready to feel the sting of that lesson!”

Raiden’s zanpakuto glowed as he began its release.

“Hado #33, Soukatsui!”

Blue fire flashed, striking the zanpakuto and halting its release. Raiden’s furious eyes rose to meet those of the source of the interference, and then went wide with recognition.

“Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”

A thousand pink swords lit the mist, encircling Raiden, his captives and the not-so-dead captain of the 6th Division. They rotated slowly, humming with the promise of death. Byakuya stood facing Raiden, his dark eyes calm and stern.

“Byakuya,” Raiden whispered, “but I felt the moment of your death. How is it you are here? This can’t be real. There is no counteragent. You should be dead.”

“Yes, well, be that as it may,” Byakuya said calmly, “you yourself said that superior intellect and power will prevail. Your attempt on my life has failed, as will your plan to attack the captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads. The very existence of your group is threatened by the information you, yourself, placed at my throat when you set my body on the ground at the base of this tree. You are undone. There is nothing left that you can do. But do not worry. I do not intend to seek surrender, not from one such as you.”

The weight of the captain’s words sank down on Raiden and he stared hatefully back at Byakuya.

“The chip was in the pendant…and you saw the plans the day you tried to escape…”

“And after I memorized the content of your plan, you sent plan and pendant to your enemies so that you, in fact, helped justice to prevail. I can imagine the torment you must feel knowing how your own actions have brought you to ruin. But you will not suffer that torment for long. You attempted to kill me…and yes, I tasted the bitterness of that death for the briefest of moments. But when you meet your death today, it shall hold on to you, and unlike me, you will not escape it.”

“You are going to kill me?” Raiden asked, a smile creeping across his face.

“No,” Byakuya said softly, “You are not a worthy opponent for me. As you said, I am not your enemy, I am a means to an end. You saw me as a means of testing your poison, but now I am the means of ensuring your destruction. Yet it will not be my hand that takes your life. You are beneath me and I will not suffer my blade to be poisoned by the touch of your blood. Your blood is tainted…and it will coat the fang of the young wolf you sought to use against me.”

He turned toward the captives.

“Hado #33, Soukatsui.”

Tendrils and branches exploded into nothingness and the three captives broke free. Immediately, Renji brought forth his zanpakuto. As he began to release it, his arm was stayed by a pale, gloved hand and the meaningful gaze Byakuya focused on him. Renji froze.

“This is not our battle. It has been claimed by your son and you must honor his right to it. This Senkei and our presence here will ensure a fair and honorable battle. Can you satisfy yourself with this, Renji?” Byakuya asked, his hand still warm on Renji’s arm.

Renji met Byakuya’s gaze for a long moment, then nodded and lowered his weapon, sighing softly. Renji and Rikichi took their places at the captain’s side, while Takeo retrieved his sword and took a stance in front of Raiden.

“You killed my mother…You sought to use me against my father and my captain…You sought to destroy the captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads. You will die for those crimes…and I will be the one to kill you!”

Raiden laughed, drawing his own zanpakuto.

“You are pathetic, little dog…just like the mongrel who fathered you. Go ahead then. Attack me. I will enjoy killing you here in front of him. And when I finish with you, I will kill him too. Then the two of you can be with your dear Kasumi once again!”

“Houkou, Kageookami!”

“Dageki, Koburakokuou!”

Takeo’s shadow wolf burst out of his extended zanpakuto and flash stepped toward Raiden, launching himself at the enemy’s throat. Mid-leap, he was suddenly caught in the teeth of a huge cobra that rose out of Raiden’s zanpakuto. It held the shadow wolf in its fangs and bit down.

“Now watch your little wolf die!” laughed Raiden, “My cobra’s venom will poison it and it will die!”

He was astounded to see Takeo smile.

“Not so fast, snakemaster!” he countered, “My wolf is born of shadow…It is not vulnerable to your poison…and it will not be held for long! Kieuseru!”

Raiden stared in shock as the cobra’s teeth snapped shut on empty air and the shadow wolf appeared next to him, tearing at him with bared fangs.

“Hado #4, Byakurai!” shouted Raiden as he fell backwards and used the wolf’s own weight to send it tumbling away. The cobra curled around him protectively. It turned its head toward the shadow wolf and released a spray of fluid. The wolf flash stepped clear and leapt onto the snake’s back, racing upward as the beast struck at him again and again. He reached the snake’s throat and clamped down in a death grip. The cobra reared back, snapping its head madly back and forth until the wolf let go and flash stepped away again. Raiden made a hissing sound and the snake turned away from the wolf, releasing a spray of its poison at Takeo, who rolled away and slashed at the snake’s body with his sword. The snake’s head turned and struck at the boy, catching his hand as he rolled away again.

“Takeo!” cried Renji, “The poison!”

But the boy was already swaying. The cobra turned and began to sway, focusing its red eyes on the stricken youth. As the snake danced, Raiden moved closer to Takeo.

“Don’t worry, Renji,” he said with a wicked smile, “The spray only confuses the senses and hypnotizes the mind. The toxin is not deadly…though the snake is!”

The snake struck at Takeo, but was sent off course by the lunging shadow wolf.

“What?” Raiden said, “The wolf should have disappeared when the hypnosis took effect!”

“I guess it didn’t work!” sneered Renji, “I guess this little wolf is better than you thought!”

And Takeo was moving again. Renji watched in astonishment as his son used his first flash step and slashed at Raiden, sending a spray of blood up into the air. As he flash stepped away, Raiden’s sword connected, catching the boy’s arm.

“Good thing it wasn’t his sword arm,” commented Renji, “Hey, Byakuya, did you know he could flash step?”

Byakuya shook his head, his eyes still focused on the battle.

“He must have acquired it recently.”

The cobra struck out at Takeo again and the shadow wolf threw itself between them again. Raiden growled with rage.

“Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro!”

Renji gasped in dismay.

The shadow wolf turned and brought Takeo to the ground just in time to avoid capture in the Six Rods Prison of Light.

“Hado #33, Soukatsui!”

The blast struck the shadow wolf, causing it to shimmer. Another flash of blue fire shattered the wolf, destroying it in a burst of dust and flame. Takeo closed the distance between himself and Raiden, slashing at lightning speed with his zanpakuto. The cobra swayed, unable to strike while Raiden was in the way. Raiden met Takeo’s blade stroke for stroke now. Both landed solid blows and their blood trickled on their skin, spattering onto the ground around them. Raiden moved suddenly and forced Takeo to the ground, bringing his weapon slashing downward. Takeo blocked the move, but blood burst from his shoulder.

“You are dead, young dog!” Yelled Raiden, raising his sword again, but then surprise lit his face as Takeo’s sword rose up and pierced his chest.

“H-Houkou…Kageookami!” gasped the boy.

Raiden’s eyes widened as the shadow wolf burst from the boy’s sword and latched on to his throat, twisting and tearing until Raiden lay limp and lifeless in its grasp. The shadow wolf dropped him and disappeared. Takeo rolled over slowly, staring at his fallen enemy. He tried to rise, almost fell, and suddenly felt strong arms take hold of him.

“Easy, kid, you did what you had to do,” Renji said softly, “Let us heal you, okay?”

Takeo nodded, his head still spinning. He rested quietly on the ground as Renji healed him. Byakuya knelt next to Renji and his dark eyes fastened on Takeo.

“You fought well and honorably. You have made your captain proud, Takeo,” he said, holding the boy’s gaze, “You not only made Raiden account for the murder of your mother, you avenged the attack on your captain, as well. You are to be commended.”

“But I still set you up to be poisoned,” Takeo objected.

“Even so,” Byakuya went on, “You did not realize the nature of what was being done and you not only admitted to your actions, but you took actions to correct your transgression. In addition, you accepted responsibility for your actions and showed a willingness to accept the consequences for your actions. I will pursue no action against you…and I will speak to your accomplishments if any others question my decision.”

“You mean…I don’t have to be imprisoned?” Takeo asked, surprise in his eyes.

“No…there will be no imprisonment,” Byakuya assured him, “However…I do expect that you will refrain from further transgression. I may not be as lenient with you next time. A soul reaper must always be mindful that actions beget consequences. When you take a course of action, you determine your consequences…good and bad, Takeo. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Captain Kuchiki,” he replied softly.

“Then we needn’t speak of this again.”

“Sir,” said Rikichi, “the stealth force has arrived.

Byakuya nodded and stood, brushing the dust from his uniform.

“I will see that their questions are answered and I will see you and Renji at home. I hope you will choose to stay with us, now that you and Renji have found each other.”

Takeo stared.

“You would have me come to live with you…even after…”

“I said, we needn’t speak of that anymore. All is forgiven and you have paid whatever debt there might have been. You are welcome in our home. You are, after all, family.”

Takeo couldn’t think of the right words in answer, but his expression spoke volumes.


	15. The Gift

_“Well, Captain Kuchiki,” Retsu Unohana says smiling, “it looks as though you have suffered no lingering effects from the poison or the cure. You were very fortunate. I have your clearance to return to duty, fully authorized. I do, however recommend that you get plenty of rest. It will be a few weeks before your reiatsu is fully restored.”_

_“Thank you, Captain.”_

_I take the clearance and start towards the door. Just before I reach it, the door opens and Renji bursts in, sweaty and panting._

_“Sorry I’m late,” he says, “The vice captain’s meeting ran over.”_

_“Renji, there was no need for you to rush over here. I told you I am fine. All my visit here did was to confirm that,” I tell him, frowning._

_“Well, I think it was a very sweet gesture,” smiles Unohana as she walks out, leaving me alone with Renji._

_“It was…kind of you to be concerned for me,” I say in a softer tone, “I didn’t mean to sound as though I didn’t want you here, it’s just…I feel like I’ve been too great a source of worry for you lately…and not enough of a source of happiness. I know this was really difficult for you…”_

_He looks away._

_“Of course it was difficult. Damn it, Byakuya, you died in my arms. I mean, even though Kisuke said it would only be for five minutes…”_

_“It felt like forever?” I finish for him, “Renji, I understand. I once thought you were dead…remember? I know it was difficult, but everything will be fine now. The children will be home tomorrow and everything will go back to the way it was before.”_

_“Byakuya…you say you understand how I feel. If you really do, then you know things aren’t just going to suddenly return to normal,” he says, slipping his arms around me._

_“No, you’re right, Renji, it will require time. I just meant that our living conditions will return to the way they were and that will offer us the chance to recover. I wasn’t suggesting this would just disappear. Too much has happened,” I admit, resting my head against the warm shoulder he offers._

_I feel his palm brush the side of my neck, his fingers running through the length of my hair. He continues this for several minutes as we stand in silence, with our bodies close together and warmth radiating between us. Then his hand comes to rest against my face and he brings his lips together with mine. At first, the contact is tentative, a light brushing of skin against skin, then he deepens it, pressing his body closer. His fingers sink into my hair again and his lips part. The movement of our tongues against each other is slow, a gentle relearning of each other, a step we have to take to regain what we came so close to losing. After a time, I pull free of his lips and bring my head to rest on his shoulder again, eyes closed._

_“We’ll be okay now,” I reassure him, “as long as we remember what we promised each other…No one leaves.”_

_There is a long pause and I feel a tremor move through him._

_“No one leaves,” he whispers back._

_He takes my hand and we leave the too-white environs of the healing center. We walk past the 6th division office and through the maze of streets that leads us back home. As he opens the door, I realize that I don’t know how many days it has been since I was taken from our home…how many days I lay among our enemies, lost and dying. The weight of it hits me. Then as we pass through the entry and start down the walkway, I realize exactly how many days must have passed. _

_The garden is dressed in an ocean of flowers and lights, as it is every year when this day comes. Dinner is laid out in the garden, and I know without looking that flower petals line the path to the waterfall and coat the walkway to our bedroom. _

_I stop on the walkway, staring, tears rising in my eyes._

_“Renji…”_

_I can’t think of anything to say to him. Before everything started to happen, before the poisoning, before being taken from my home, I’d been looking forward to this. But looking on it now brings home the weight of what happened. How many nights did Renji face alone here, waiting for me? How often must he have wondered whether or not we would see the house and garden dressed in light and color, marking the passage of another year of our life partnership? And it has come, but removed from my life as I was, I didn’t even know what day it was, much less that today was this, of all days. The pain of it is unbearable…that such happiness could be stolen away from us. And then come the ‘what ifs.’ What if this day had passed while I was not here? What if the poison had killed me, and Renji had been forced to face this day alone?_

_I turn back into the entry. As I move, Renji flash steps and stops in front of me, resting his hands on my shoulders. I cannot look up at him. And I cannot think of anything to say that will explain what I feel._

_“Hey,” he says bracingly, “what is it? Why did you do that?”_

_I cannot answer. And even when a warm hand slips beneath my chin and my face tilts upward, I cannot meet his eyes._

_“Byakuya…what’s wrong? Did I do something that upset you? Did I say something? What is it?”_

_I bury my face in his throat and I feel his arms close around me._

_“Will you please say something?” he whispers, “I thought this would make you happy. If it doesn’t, we can go somewhere else. I’ll have everything removed…just tell me what you need me to do.”_

_“I need you to…forgive me,” I whisper, “I had little awareness while I was away…Renji…I lost track of the days…”_

_“Is that what this is about? Byakuya, I know what kind of shape you were in. It’s understandable that you lost track of things. Give yourself a break! I don’t know why you do this to yourself. You hold yourself to impossible standards. You know that if the situation was reversed, you would have done this for me…you know it! You would never hold it against me if, after something like this, I lost focus or awareness. Don’t do this. Don’t punish yourself for what Raiden did to you! I have more claim to the fault in that than you do.”_

_“No,” I say quietly, “He may have sought revenge, but he would have taken action against me anyway. He told me that I was chosen mainly for my strength. Because if I could be killed by the poison, then no other could withstand it. Revenge was a secondary issue, Renji.”_

_“None of that matters,” he insists, “I don’t care about who is to blame or what went wrong because of it. Just…let it go, Byakuya. Let yourself be happy again. Otherwise, you’ll be letting that bastard steal this from us. I know you don’t want that.”_

_“No.”_

_“Then you listen to me. Don’t think about anything but this…We’re here together, and it is our anniversary. It’s our celebration of who we are…and no one can take this away from us. And Byakuya, all we need to make this day perfect is feeling that connection we have. It’s still there…and it is definitely worth celebrating.”_

_His hand slides down my arm and takes hold of my hand. He pulls gently, turning me back in the direction of the garden. I follow quietly as we cross the beautifully decorated garden and take our places at the table. He doesn’t say anything, but leaves me to my thoughts. _

_My heart seems to settle after a while and I look up at him, wondering how he can always be so accommodating. I don’t make things easy for him. What could make him value me the way he does? His value in my life is easily seen. Renji is not fooled by masks or carefully placed facades. He sees me in a way no one else does. He understands me in ways no one else ever has or will. He is completely loyal. I have never felt this kind of trust before. But what do I offer in return? What made him love me? At this point, shouldn’t I already know that?_

_“Renji, will you tell me something?” I ask softly._

_He looks up questioningly._

_“Why me? What made you love me?”_

_He looks surprised by the question. I imagine he also thinks I should already know. But his answer tells me that he understands why I am asking…why after all of this time, I still wonder._

_“You weren’t at all who I assumed you were,” he says, “You took me by surprise. Despite the front you put up, I saw what kind of a person you really are. Nobility isn’t just your place in life, Byakuya, you really embody what the word means. You demand more of yourself because of it, but you don’t use it to raise yourself above other people. You chose Hisana for who she was on the inside. You saw it and you loved her, not for one minute letting her peasant status stop you. You made sacrifices to keep her in your life and you honored your love for her by adopting Rukia, even though it cost you to do that.”_

_“I thought you hated me for adopting Rukia.”_

_“That was a mistake. That was before I knew you. It wasn’t until you opened the door, until I heard you telling Rukia about Hisana that I saw you for who you are.”_

_“I thought you were unconscious. I had no idea you heard what I said,” I tell him softly, “If I had known, I might not have been able to say the words.”_

_“I know that,” he says, smiling up at me, “I’m glad I heard what you said, though. If I hadn’t, I don’t think you ever would have let me see you.”_

_“Most likely not,” I agree._

_The breeze moves the trees and the koi splash in the pond. _

_“So when did you realize that you loved me, Byakuya?” he asks._

_Now it’s my turn to be surprised. I have to think for a moment._

_“The day of our battle. I may have defeated you, but I was also conquered that day. Turning and walking away from you was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. If I hadn’t sensed Captain Unohana and Hanatoro approaching, I couldn’t have left.”_

_He smiles at that._

_“Can you tell me something else?” he asks, “What made you kiss me that first time? I mean, you were pretty disoriented from being attacked by that hollow…but…”_

_Now it’s my turn to smile._

_“You noticed I was gone and you didn’t just wait for me to come back. You came to find me. You knew I needed you even when what I needed wasn’t clear to me. When you cared for my wounds in the cave, I started to realize that it wasn’t just duty that brought you after me. And the disorientation just lowered my fears enough to take that first step. Even if you had pulled away, I could have retreated and blamed the disorientation.”_

_He sighs, his eyes holding mine._

_“You don’t make things easy for me, Byakuya…but I love you, just the same.”_

_“And that love is returned wholeheartedly, Renji,” I reply, returning his gaze._

_“Good,” he says smiling, “and now I have something for you. I should have returned it sooner, but I thought now would be a good time.”_

_He reaches around his neck and unclasps my gold Sakura pendant, the treasured gift from our first anniversary. He places it around my neck and fastens the clasp._

_“I believe this is the second time someone has tried to take it from you and the second time I’ve had to return it to you. Now, don’t make me have to do this again, Byakuya.”_

_“I will attempt to cooperate with you on that, but I can make no promises,” I answer._

_“I guess I’ll have to accept that,” he says, smiling, “Now, for this year’s gift…”_

_“Renji…wait…”_

_“Just come with me. You’ll love this, Byakuya.”_

_He takes my hands and pulls me to my feet. Then he leads me down the forest trail to the waterfall. As before, he has had it lit from beneath with blue light. He walks to the edge of the cliff and motions for me to follow. At the edge of the cliff, he turns to me._

_“Follow me…and don’t land in the water.”_

_He drops off the edge of the cliff and lands gracefully on a small ledge that extends down to the bottom of the waterfall. I follow as he leads me downward. He stops at the waterfall and follows a small trail that takes us around behind it._

_“I was down here once and I found this trail.”_

_“I never noticed it.”_

_“I figured…Anyway, I followed it and found a small cave with a hot spring in it. The pool was too small, but I thought that if it was made larger, it would be a good place to relax.”_

_I follow him into the cave entrance and freeze._

_The cave floor is sprinkled with flower petals and steam rises lazily from the hot spring. Lights have been placed around the cave and in the spring to illuminate it for use at night. Towels lie at the edge of the pool, ready for us. Champagne and strawberries wait nearby._

_“How did you do this?” I ask, blinking._

_“I had the workers come while we were at the office. They finished it the day of the exhibition. The flowers we did today.”_

_“Renji, this place is…breathtaking!” I whisper, taking him in my arms._

_“You like it…” he says, relief flooding his voice._

_“Did you think I wouldn’t?” I breathe, “This is stunning.”_

_“No,” he says, “you are.”_

_He reaches up to remove the kenseiken, but I stop his hands before they reach it._

_“Wait,” I tell him, “I haven’t given you my gift, yet.”_

_“Byakuya, you have given me everything I ever wanted. And most recently, you took in my son. You treated him like your own family…”_

_“And so he is.”_

_“You have no idea how much that means to me. You had no problem with my not having told you about Kasumi…or there being a child…even that he was used against us. You showed so much patience with him. What better gift can there be than that?”_

_“Even so, there is something I have carried with me for some time. I didn’t know when might be the right time. I’ve been thinking about it, though, and just before all of this happened, I decided that today would be an appropriate time.”_

_I reach into my shihakushou and remove the Captain’s recommendation form. He knows what it is on sight, but takes it from my hand and stares at it silently._

_“Renji,” I say softly, “you have reached far beyond the basic requirements for this recommendation. Among the vice captains, you are the most accomplished. I have allowed you to remain my vice captain, because I value you and because I respected your wish to stay. I can no longer overlook your abilities, nor can I allow you to hold yourself back just to remain at my side. It is time to let you become who you are meant to be.”_

_There are tears in his eyes. I take his face in my hands and kiss them away. I hear the sound of paper tearing and look down._

_“What are you doing?” I ask staring._

_“I’m not doing this…” he says, meeting my eyes squarely, “I appreciate the gesture, Byakuya, but I am not going to accept it.”_

_Small pieces of paper join the flower petals scattered on the floor._

_I open my mouth to object, but he stops me with a hungry kiss. He presses forward until my back touches the cave wall, then looses the tie at my waist. Pushing the shihakushou off of my shoulders and removing the heirloom scarf, he covers my face, throat and shoulders in kisses. I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer, letting my head fall back to give him access. My hands release the tie at his waist and when we finally pull away from each other, he is bare and I am left in only my gloves and kenseiken. He reaches for the headpiece and pulls it gently free, setting it down with my clothes. He removes the gloves one by one, teasing the tender skin beneath them with kisses. _

_We walk to the edge of the spring and slip into it, inhaling deeply at the sudden intensity of heat. He has had a stone bench seat carved into the rock and we sit for a moment, adjusting._

_He takes a strawberry and slips it into my mouth, shocking it with icy coldness, then again with the heat of his mouth as it joins mine, crushing the soft fruit and releasing the cool juice to play over our tongues. Some escapes and he breaks free of my mouth to lick it away, before tempting me with another strawberry. He pours a glass of champagne and brings it to my lips and I take a mouthful. He pulls the glass away and fastens his mouth on mine, sharing in the blend of flavors. He breaks free to follow some of the golden liquid down the side of my face to my throat, where he slows and lingers._

_He presses forward and I lean back, resting against the incline at the edge of the hot spring. As his body presses closer, forcing it’s way between my thighs, I catch a tender earlobe gently in my teeth and tease it with my tongue._

_“I won’t let you do this, Renji, I breathe into his ear, “I’m not going to let you hold yourself back anymore. It will take more than shredded paper to stop me. I will convince you. I won’t stop until I do.”_

_He enters me slowly, his brown eyes holding mine. _

_“I know,” he whispers, “and I’ll fight it with everything I have. I love you, Byakuya. And the only one who is going to be protecting your body and enforcing your commands is me. There is always time for me to advance. Right now, the only place for me is at your side. The only work that matters is keeping you safe.”_

_“I can take care of myself Renji,” I tell him, “I don’t…”_

_His body moves against mine, and his mouth captures mine, silencing me. I want to push him away, to force him to listen, but I’m pinned underneath him and his hands and mouth stroke my skin, leaving me breathless and light-headed._

_“Stop…we need to talk about this…Ren…ah!”_

_“Shh…” he whispers, “We’ll talk later.”_

_His movements become faster and more intense, stealing my breath and making further argument impossible. But it won’t end here. I know I am right about this. And when I can breathe again, I will make him listen. _


End file.
